Garcia to Defend WBC Title Against Conor Benn in Las Vegas

Ryan Garcia has announced he will defend his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn in Las Vegas on September 12, his first defence since claiming the belt.

Making the reveal on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, Garcia playfully described his next opponent as "from the other side" before naming him: "Conor Benn. He's talking a lot." He also recalled an incident at an awards show when Benn "pressed up on me, grabbed me," saying the moment made the fight a little more personal. "I'm going to really put a whopping on this man, and we will send him back to the UK sipping on some tea," Garcia added.

Garcia, 27, won the WBC welterweight title in February, beating Mario Barrios by a wide unanimous decision after flooring him in the first round.

Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) comes into the bout having returned from back-to-back main events against Chris Eubank Jr. at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the first of those fights was named the 2025 fight of the year before Benn won the rematch. He followed that with a unanimous decision victory over former 140lbs champion Regis Prograis on April 26, after signing a multi-fight, multi-year deal with Zuffa Boxing.

As the WBC mandatory challenger, Benn has repeatedly said the Garcia fight is a priority. "Of course, it is the priority to get that Garcia fight done," he told Sky Sports, while also noting other big names have called him out. "God willing, we get the Garcia fight done for the title... If Ryan doesn't want it, there are plenty of fish out there."

Zuffa Boxing chief Dana White said he was open to staging what he described as a "fun" fight between Benn and Garcia, adding that the company asks its signees about the dream match-ups they want and aims to make the biggest fights possible.

The September 12 Las Vegas date sets up a high-profile meeting between two of boxing’s most talked-about young welterweights, with Garcia making his first title defence against a hungry, high-profile mandatory challenger.