On the heels of scooping up middleweight star Conor Benn on Friday, a new report claims Zuffa Boxing is expected to add a big-name heavyweight who was involved in one of the biggest upsets of this century.
Since Dana White announced that he was jumping back into the boxing game after years of dominating mixed martial arts, he and his Zuffa Boxing brand have looked to shake up the sweet science. While he suggested he would show that boxing promotion can be done in a similar way to how he approached MMA, he has started to break away from that model this week.
Zuffa Boxing was expected to build a roster of more affordable fighters and turn them into stars. However, on Friday, White and the company revealed the surprising signing of Matchroom Boxing star Conor Benn. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports that the deal is for only one fight and at least $10 million.
Zuffa Boxing set to sign Andy Ruiz next?
However, the company and its financial backer, Turki Al-Sheikh, don’t seem to be done adding established stars to its roster. Following the Benn signing, veteran boxing insider Dan Rafael seemingly confirmed the rumor that former unified heavyweight king Andy Ruiz is also joining Zuffa Boxing.
In 2019, the American was on the right side of one of the biggest upsets the sport has seen over the last 25 years when he won the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles with a knockout win over future Hall of Famer Anthony Joshua.
The once doughy heavyweight has lost significant weight in recent years and looks very different from the man casual boxing fans remember. Since his massive upset win, he is 2-1-1. He lost the rematch with Joshua by decision, but has wins over Chris Arreola and Luiz Ortiz.
While the 36-year-old “Destroyer” is not one of the most prominent forces in the division anymore, he is an action fighter with a well-known name. Making him a very good addition for Zuffa Boxing’s growing roster.
