Ryan Garcia successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Conor Benn on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout, which lasted less than four minutes, was held on Mexican Independence Day weekend before a crowd of 18,855 spectators.
Garcia, 28, landed a decisive right hand early in the second round that sent the British challenger Benn to the canvas. Despite rising to his feet, Benn appeared visibly disoriented, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight at 1 minute 25 seconds of the round. Garcia, who improved his professional record to 26-2 with 21 knockouts, defended the title he claimed in February by defeating Mario Barrios.
Benn, 29, had vowed to bring “tenacity, ferocity, spite” to the contest and pushed a fast pace in the opening round, pressing Garcia aggressively and landing body shots. However, the champion’s timing and power proved decisive as he capitalized on Benn’s approach. Benn, fighting at welterweight for the first time in over four years after competing at middleweight and above, weighed in at 146 pounds, his lightest in seven years. He described the weight cut process as going through the “pits of hell.” After the fight, Benn was taken to hospital for observation but later posted on social media conceding, “Not my night, no excuses,” and calling Garcia “a great champion.”
Throughout the fight buildup and in the post-fight proceedings, tensions remained high. Garcia summoned WBA welterweight champion Teófimo López from ringside, challenging him to a unification bout. He also issued a call-out to Devin Haney, the WBO champion, expressing intent to settle unfinished business from their previous encounter, which had been marred by doping controversies. Lopez responded from ringside, escalating anticipation for a potential matchup.
Both fighters have faced doping-related setbacks in recent years. Garcia tested positive for the banned anabolic agent ostarine following his April 2024 victory over Haney. That result was overturned to a no-contest, and Garcia served a one-year suspension, attributing the positive test to contaminated supplements. Benn faced a two-year competitive hiatus in Britain after two positive tests for clomifene emerged in 2022 ahead of a proposed fight with Chris Eubank Jr. While Benn consistently denied wrongdoing, he was ultimately cleared by the National Anti-Doping Panel.
The fight, co-promoted by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing—who recently signed Benn from Matchroom Boxing—and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, reportedly earned both fighters around $15 million. Garcia’s emphatic victory bolsters his standing as one of boxing’s leading young stars, while Benn’s future appears less certain. Although he suggested after the fight that this might be his final contest at welterweight, his proven appeal in the UK market may afford viable options at his more natural weight.
Garcia’s sights are now firmly set on unification within the welterweight division, with López identified as the preferred next opponent. With additional interest from fighters like four-division champion Shakur Stevenson, who was present as a commentator, the welterweight landscape looks poised for further significant matchups in the near future.