Connor Benn leaves Eddie Hearn’s matching room to join Dana White’s boxing outfit Zuffa

Surely no one in boxing had this on their bingo card. There were no whispers, rumors or vague hints on social media.

Usually when a fighter jumps ship, the departing promoter steps up to her with a statement or some sort of warning shot – not this time.

White has made no secret of his desire to disrupt boxing’s power structure, and securing Penn – a fighter with real appeal in the mainstream, albeit still with skeptics – is a signing statement.

Hearn has stood firmly behind Ben throughout the doping saga and has been actively maneuvering him towards a world title shot. Ben is the mandatory challenger for the winner of Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia, and has made no secret of his ambition to become world champion.

So what does this mean for those plans? Zova recently signed cruiserweight world champion Jay Obitaya, however the long-term vision is one belt, one title for Zova, and not relying on traditional sanctioning bodies.

If this is the trend, what is Ben doing now? Will he aim to become Zuffa’s first welterweight champion?

Over the past week, White has dismissed Hearn’s credentials and joked that he works for his father Barry, prompting the younger Hearn to respond that White’s boss is Al Sheikh.

From a pure PR standpoint, this is a huge win for White. This escalating promotional rivalry has become much higher.