Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn to meet for welterweight world title in September
Garcia to defend welterweight title
Ryan Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) and Conor Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) are scheduled to face each other on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The announcement was made by Turki Al-Sheikh. Garcia will defend his WBC welterweight world title in this bout. He secured the title in February through a points victory against Mario Barrios.
Following his title win, Garcia had expressed interest in fighting WBO light-welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson. Despite being under contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Stevenson indicated he would be open to a fight. However, Garcia’s immediate focus will be on his first title defense against Benn.
Benn’s path to the title shot
Benn, who last competed as a welterweight in February 2024, will be fighting for a world title for the first time. The WBC belt is one he has reportedly long sought, a title his father, Nigel Benn, held at super middleweight between 1992 and 1996.
Before this upcoming fight, Benn moved up two divisions to middleweight in 2025 for two fights against Chris Eubank Jr, losing the first and winning the second. He then returned to a lower weight class, fighting Regis Prograis in April at a catchweight of 150lb, which is 3 lb above the welterweight limit. Benn secured a points victory in that match.
In February, Benn departed from his previous promoters, Matchroom, and signed a one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing, a promotional entity owned by Sela and TKO Holdings. After his win over Prograis, he signed a new five-fight promotional deal with Zuffa, extending through 2028. Benn stated that his goal remains to achieve a world title and called out Garcia after his victory against Prograis.
Recent history and fighter remarks
Both fighters have been involved in doping cases in recent years. Garcia received a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after testing positive for ostarine around his April 2024 win over Devin Haney, which was subsequently ruled a no-contest.
Benn faced a provisional suspension after adverse analytical findings for clomifene in two tests by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) before a scheduled fight with Eubank Jr in October 2022. This suspension was lifted in November 2024 after the NADP (National Anti-Doping Panel) was not satisfied that an anti-doping rule violation had been proven.
The upcoming fight marks a significant challenge for Benn, who has not fought at 147lb for over two years. His last welterweight bout was a points win against Peter Dobson in Las Vegas. Since his failed test, Benn has not stopped any opponents, including Prograis in April.
Leading up to the fight, both boxers have engaged in verbal exchanges. Benn stated, “I’m gonna smash your head in,” while Garcia responded, “You aren’t good enough to beat me.” Garcia further commented that Benn “forced himself in this position” and that he would demonstrate the consequences of rushing into something one is not ready for. The score between the two will be settled in September.
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Source: nytimes.com
