Last month, Conor Benn and Eddie Hearn’s decade-long partnership came to an end, leaving much of the boxing world stunned. After the British boxer reportedly signed a $15 million deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, his former promoter was visibly upset and vocal about the controversial split. Now, Anthony Joshua has publicly backed Hearn by taking a sly dig at Benn.

‘The Destroyer’ and the former heavyweight champion have fought under Hearn’s promotion, ‘Matchroom Boxing’, throughout their respective boxing careers. The difference is that Joshua remains with Matchroom Boxing, while Benn has moved under White’s banner. After Benn chose to part ways with his long-term promoter, Joshua posted a photo with Hearn on his Instagram story, firing some shots at Benn.

“AJ: Did you bring the firepower, Eddie?” Joshua wrote on his Instagram story. “Eddie: It’s tucked on my waistline, mush. AJ:  I’ll let you know when I have clear sight of Conor Benn,” he added.

For those unfamiliar, the split between Eddie Hearn and Conor Benn turned controversial not only because the British star sided with Zuffa Boxing, but also because of how it unfolded. The Matchroom chief said he personally asked ‘The Destroyer’ for a call after the Zuffa deal was finalized. However, Hearn claims Benn refused the request and gave him the cold shoulder, which ultimately soured their relationship.

“When I received the email from his lawyer, I text him and said, ‘I think we should have a call,’” Hearn told IFL TV. “‘I think, for everything I’ve done for you, I think I deserve a call,’ and he said no. I was like, ‘Man, f—. I can’t believe it.’ I just, I don’t know what to say.”

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With that sequence of events in mind, Joshua appeared to fire shots at his compatriot for leaving on less than ideal terms. However, as Benn gets criticized by Hearn and other boxers from Matchroon Boxing, a rival promoter has questioned their reactions.

Rival promoter Ben Shalom calls out Eddie Hearn over Conor Benn’s exit

For a promoter like Eddie Hearn, losing a fighter who had been with the promotion for nearly a decade was always going to be disappointing. However, rival promoter Ben Shalom believes Matchroom Boxing’s reaction to the entire saga was nothing short of a joke. His reasoning? Chris Eubank Jr’s manager argues that Hearn has done the same in the past and therefore should not be outraged now.

“To be honest, the way they reacted, I thought it was a parody,” Shalom said in an interview with Talksport. “I thought it was a complete joke. I mean, they have been doing this to fighters and taking various fighters that have been built up by other promoters for a long time.

They put it down to money and ‘short careers,’ putting it down to ‘there is no loyalty in boxing’ and glorifying it, taking the Mickey with it. I genuinely could not believe the reaction to Conor going to the highest bidder,” he added.

Although Shalom did not mention names directly, he may have been alluding to Billy Joe Saunders. In 2019, Saunders left Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and signed with Matchroom, a move that became a matter of dispute at the time as he got to face Canelo Alvarez under Hearn’s banner. But the fact remains, high-profile fighters switching promotional houses for better financial terms has long been a common theme in boxing.

That said, do you think the rivalry between Hearn and Dana White will only intensify from here? Let us know in the comments section below.