Conor Benn’s Zuffa Boxing bout with Regis Prograis explains why he signed to the promotion

The $15 million price tag that is reportedly hanging over this one-fight deal then led people to have high expectations for who he would face in his next outing.

Regis Prograis being Benn’s opponent, as announced earlier today, isn’t a bad step for the Brit but it does explain why the promotion has spent so much on a fighter that will be a free agent again in a few months.

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Conor Benn’s Zuffa Boxing signing was a shock tactic to make short-term impressions

There were some slightly puzzled reactions to Conor Benn’s Zuffa Boxing debut being announced for April 11.

He’ll be facing Regis Prograis in the co-main event of a card headlined by Tyson Fury’s comeback fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.

This is somewhat surprising but in turn, it shows that the promotion signing Benn for a huge one-fight payday was more about the impact it had last week than any long-term plans.

TKO president Mark Shapiro has already said that Sela, led by Turki Alalshikh, are the ones who are covering the purse, meaning that this is somewhat of a free hit for Zuffa Boxing.

That being said, having him in a co-main event in a fight that isn’t exactly a blockbuster makes it hard to see what they gain from this other than the shock factor of the announcement, especially considering this is his one and only contracted bout.

It makes total sense as a move for Benn given the opponent, purse, and fact that he’ll be free to explore other options very soon.

For Zuffa Boxing, it seems like this signing was motivated by sending a message to their rivals that no one on their rosters is safe, and that certainly worked.

It should’ve been obvious by the one-fight nature of the deal that the promotion isn’t putting all their chips on Benn, choosing instead to give their opponents a look at the kind of tricks they’ve got up their sleeves.