Hearn said he expected “loyalty” from Benn after standing by him during his doping suspension, which was eventually lifted in November 2024.
Benn’s profile rocketed in part thanks to the doping scandal, which was intertwined with an epic two-fight rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr.
Hearn described losing Benn to Zuffa Boxing as “painful” but insisted Benn has now aligned himself with “ruthless” operators.
“Look at what they did to [UFC heavyweight champion] Tom Aspinall. Tom Aspinall literally had his eye gouged out in a fight and Dana White basically called him a cry baby and cast him aside, humiliated him in front of everybody, while the guy is having operations to save his eyesight,” Hearn said.
“Dana White wouldn’t do what I did for Conor Benn. But we’re different people, and we have a different passion for the sport.
“You’re a pawn in the game if you’re Conor Benn, aren’t you? We’re different organisations.
“I’ve said it before: these guys are very, very powerful, ruthless people. They don’t care about the sport of boxing.
“In my opinion, they don’t care about the fighters – it’s just a business to them.”