Comments Thread For: Conor Benn signs with Zuffa Boxing

[Coverdale]

Also, he's just a weird guy I think.

They're all weird. Apparently the Crown Prince has a strange tick. Likely results from having a polygamous and tyrannical father who makes his multitude of children compete for his approval.

All big promoters need to come together

They've had decades to work in the interests of the sport and have signally failed to do so. Reason: they are private businesses focused on the bottom line. One of the biggest boxing stories currently is Oscar (who has been most outspoken against Zuffa) preventing one of the best matchups in the sport. We had years of "muh side of the street" before Zuffa was even a thing.

The sanctioning bodies need to get their act together as well

You're not saying anything profound here. This has been the case since the 80s and didn't need the appearance of Dana White to make this obvious. Again, they are private businesses. The only interests they work for are their own. The WBA - with its farcical multi-title policy - has its HQ in Panama where they have no data retention laws (which is why NordVPN have their HQ there). You think that's an accident?

[Toffee]

I don't really care about the loyalty stuff in boxing. He sounds like he behaved poorly, but money is money. I doubt he's financially secure and this changes that.

But I really don't get how Zuffa make this work. Paying big money for fighters who are pretty much excluding themselves from the biggest fights just by signing for Zuffa. And Zuffa pretty much abandoning their one point of difference by signing fighters who immediately say they want to win all the belts.

What is the point of Zuffa? Even if they could keep it in house they will simply devalue their own fighters by having one lose.

And isn't Turki just inflating the market that he already operates in? And will continue to operate in?

[Coverdale]

I don't really care about the loyalty stuff in boxing. He sounds like he behaved poorly, but money is money. I doubt he's financially secure and this changes that.

But I really don't get how Zuffa make this work. Paying big money for fighters who are pretty much excluding themselves from the biggest fights just by signing for Zuffa. And Zuffa pretty much abandoning their one point of difference by signing fighters who immediately say they want to win all the belts.

What is the point of Zuffa? Even if they could keep it in house they will simply devalue their own fighters by having one lose.

And isn't Turki just inflating the market that he already operates in? And will continue to operate in?

Startup businesses tend to lose money in the first few years (ask DAZN). They clearly realise they need to make a splash, plus there was probably a personal element in wanting to wound Hearn. As for the belts, they probably realise they will need to make some short term accommodations. They're playing a long game.

[Toffee]

Startup businesses tend to lose money in the first few years (ask DAZN). They clearly realise they need to make a splash, plus there was probably a personal element in wanting to wound Hearn. As for the belts, they probably realise they will need to make some short term accommodations. They're playing a long game.

DAZN always made sense. They were a digital startup basically taking a gamble on OTT/streaming winning out over cable. Which was kind of obvious except to the Arums of this world.

Zuffa aren't doing anything innovative, nor are they hopping on board a shift in the market. They're claiming they will do things differently, but their approach is to do exactly what the others are all doing and simply compete with the existing promoters for existing talent when it comes available.

For the life of me I can't see what they're doing differently to make this viable. Though I understand Turki doesn't really need financial visibility. Can he really just go and sign everyone?

I assume that they might try to get Jai to undisputed, at which point he drops the orgs and devalues their belts. But Conor Benn isn't doing that. And every org and promoter is going to avoid a Zuffa fighter given their intent.

So who are these people going to fight for the big purses on offer?

[Goatintheboat]

I think what this move signals is that Turki will F them all now.
He owns 60% of Zuffa.
This tells others that loyalty is not important.
They'll probably get the Sky deal with Conor too.

It might seem like a awful signing to some... But I think it opens the floodgates. Or at least that's the plan.

But if that's the case why only sign Benn for one fight? They can hardly say to anyone we have the big fights without a stable of fighters and some certainty of events. Turki's tentacles are everywhere; Wouldn't be surprised if this was all cooked up together to keep boxing in the news. Nothing like a promoter fight to build hype particularly when the fighters are all mates. John Fury can only do so much by himself