Lou Di Bella has unleashed on Conor Benn in a real tirade against the UK welterweight since he moved to the US to fight on Paramount Plus.
Benn is now an American based fighter and is going all guns blazing in his pursuit of a fight with Ryan Garcia.
Garcia on his side says he wants to fight somebody, anyone, on social media, but as of yet nothing is official.
US promoter Lou DiBella is not a fan of Benn and said to Ariel Helwani of him:
“He’s a pedestrian prizefighter with a famous lineage, and a cheater, and frankly got bigger by cheating. People like me, they wanna see him get his a** kicked. I’ll buy Ryan Garcia and him. I’m hoping Ryan’s (Garcia) gonna knock him the hell out.”
For new fans to boxing who have not heard of Lou DiBella, here’s some info on him.
Who is Lou DiBella?
- He’s a Hall of Fame boxing promoter – Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022. Also in the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame 2024.
- Ran HBO Boxing for 11 years – Was Senior Vice President in Charge of Programming at HBO Sports from 1989-2000. Made HBO “the preeminent boxing network”.
- Created “Boxing After Dark” – Launched HBO’s acclaimed late-night series in 1996. The show gave young, underexposed fighters national TV and helped build stars. Started with Barrera vs McKinney.
- Founded DiBella Entertainment in 2000 – Left HBO to start his own promotional company. Still one of the most active promoters in boxing today.
- Promoted tons of world champions – Past fighters include Sergio Martínez, Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, Andre Berto, Paulie Malignaggi. Current roster: Regis Prograis, Tevin Farmer, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, George Kambosos Jr.
- Big advocate for women’s boxing – Promotes world champs Amanda Serrano and Alicia Napoleon, plus Heather Hardy, Shelly Vincent. Helped get more TV time and money for women in the sport.
- He’s also a minor league baseball owner – President & Managing Partner of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliate of the SF Giants. Also owns the Montgomery Biscuits.
- Brooklyn-born, Harvard Law grad – Born May 17, 1960 in Brooklyn, NY. Went to Regis High School, Tufts University, then Harvard Law.
- Known for speaking his mind – Famous for calling boxing “an awful business” and “self-destructive”. Pushes for fighter safety, reform, and against exploitation.
- He’s in “Rocky Balboa” – Made his acting debut in the 2006 film. Also created HBO’s KO Nation series.
As for Benn and Garcia, let’s see what happens them next.
