Oscar De La Hoya slams Conor Benn Zuffa move

Golden Boy promoter warns new belt plan weakens established sanctioning order at welterweight

Oscar De La Hoya is publicly challenging Conor Benn’s reported eight-figure move to Zuffa Boxing. He believes the money and the proposed belt system could disrupt the recognized title structure.

Benn had worked under Eddie Hearn since turning pro in 2016. After rebuilding in the United States with wins over Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson, he shared two major stadium nights with Chris Eubank Jr before this reported shift.

Now the focus is the deal itself.

“Eddie Hearn must be p***d off. My God. How can they do that to Eddie Hearn? It is not right,” De La Hoya said.

He questioned where the purse originates.

“I don’t understand who is paying him… If it’s going to be eight figures… he’s going to demand a lot of money. So, I’m not sure who’s going to pay.”

“Conor Benn going to Zuffa is just mind-boggling for me.”

Belts determine order. Rankings trigger mandatory defenses. A contender earns his position through eliminators, then negotiates for a sanctioned shot under set rules.

Add another belt outside the recognized bodies and those lines shift. At welterweight, where contenders already wait on mandatory calls, a separate title track complicates negotiations and stretches timelines.

A champion tied to one system must defend against the next rated opponent. A parallel belt creates a second queue with no obligation to the first.

“It’s just another promoter coming in with a brand new belt with no historical value,” De La Hoya said.

“Is it good or is it bad? I think it’s bad.”

“Another promoter and another belt where people get even more confused. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Promoters work years to move a fighter into position for a sanctioned title shot. Purse splits, eliminators, and mandatory orders are part of that grind.

If Benn operates outside the recognized sanctioning structure, his position in the ratings can freeze. Securing a sanctioned title shot later could become a longer, more complicated road.

De La Hoya also went at Dana White directly.

“Dana has two daddies. Actually three. The Fertitta brothers and Turki. Those are his daddies.”

“There’s nothing that Dana has built on his own from scratch.”

For Benn, the immediate reward may be financial. The test will come when he looks to re-enter the recognized welterweight title picture and finds the line has moved without him.