A staggering offer of one fight for $15 million was the figure that lured Conor Benn away from Matchroom Boxing to join the expanding boxing roster of Dana White at Zuffa Boxing. As such, Benn is now being rewarded with a fight. He will face former world champion Regis Prograis in the co-main event of the Netflix event headlined by Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. But Benn would be mistaken to think the lead-up to the fight will be as smooth as his exit from Eddie Hearn’s stable. From what he said just hours ago, it appears he may be exploring legal options to put the brakes on Dana White and his backers in Saudi Arabia.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously, we’ve got to see if (the Regis Prograis fight) that’s the (reported $15m) payday,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV‘s Marcos Villegas. “I can’t say too much because there’s a bit of a legal process regarding that.

“Well, obviously, you know, when you get an opportunity to match, you have to make sure that was actually what you were asked to match. You know what I mean? So, you know, we shall see. It’s going to be interesting to say the least.”

Eddie Hearn questioned whether the widely reported $15 million purse for Conor Benn’s proposed fight with Regis Prograis accurately reflected the full terms of the deal his company was asked to match. Hearn suggested his team matched one component of the offer. But he also claimed another contractual element—specifically a one-fight option—was used in a way that disadvantaged them.

He pointed out that there is an ongoing legal process preventing him from speaking freely about the specifics. But the last bit does make it seem he’s gearing up for something, fueling speculation that another lawsuit against Dana White might be in order. The Matchroom head’s latest comments come in the wake of reports indicating that Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren is planning legal action against Dana White and SELA, seeking damages worth $1 billion.

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For Hearn, the earlier departure of cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia to Zuffa Boxing has already aggravated tensions with White and his team. He will make his promotional debut on March 8 against Brandon Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight championship.

Eddie Hearn appears to be exploring potential contractual remedies involving Conor Benn and possibly his agent, Tony Connelly.

Boxing world weighs in as Eddie Hearn eyes options against White & Co.

A “right to match” clause typically comes with obligations requiring the fighter and their representative to fully and accurately present the terms of an offer. If Benn’s team did not properly disclose or structure key terms, that may open the door to legal action.

However, any such dispute would likely remain between the contractual parties rather than an outside bidder. Some see it differently.

“Basically, what he is doing is trying to tie this up and prevent it (the fight vs. Prograis) from happening even though he knows he will lose in the end,” one user wrote in reaction to Hearn’s comments. “He’s basically acting like a sore ex-gf. Let the man move on; stop being a little bit*h. We all know you weren’t going to give him 15 mil or even 10 mil.”

As for the fight itself, Hearn made his views clear, stating that the matchup against Prograis is nothing but a tune-up.

“It’s not the fight I’d have made because I’d have wanted to put him in a big fight, probably for a world championship,” he told Boxing Social. “It’s a good tick-over until something bigger comes along.”

The promotional feud appears far from over. With legal threats looming, if things turn more dramatic over the next few days, the biggest fight for Benn, White, and Hearn may end up taking place in a courtroom, not the ring.