Ryan Garcia retained his World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title with a dominant performance against Conor Benn on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old American stopped Benn in the second round, delivering a powerful right hand that floored the British challenger and prompted referee Thomas Taylor to halt the contest at 1 minute and 25 seconds into the round. The fight, which took place during Mexican Independence Day weekend, drew a largely pro-Garcia crowd of 18,855 spectators.
Garcia (26-2, 21 KOs), making his first title defense since capturing the WBC 147-pound belt in February by defeating Mario Barrios, wasted little time in asserting control. Benn (25-2, 14 KOs) attempted to implement an aggressive game plan, pressing the champion early with heavy body shots and rapid exchanges. However, Garcia’s precision and power proved decisive, culminating in the knockout blow that ended the bout in under five minutes.
Following the victory, Garcia addressed the welterweight division’s landscape, challenging other top contenders and champions. Notably, WBA titleholder Teófimo López, who was seated ringside and appeared poised to enter the ring during post-fight festivities, was called out by Garcia. The American also directed a challenge toward Devin Haney, the WBO champion, referencing their previous encounter that was marred by Garcia’s positive drug test. “Hopefully we get to beat Devin Haney’s ass again for undisputed,” Garcia said during the post-fight interview.
Benn, the son of former WBC super-middleweight champion Nigel Benn, sought to emulate his father’s success but was unable to maintain his momentum. He moved down to the 147-pound limit for the first time in over four years, having competed as high as middleweight. Weighing in at 146 pounds on Friday, his lightest in seven years, Benn acknowledged the difficulties in the weight cut, describing it as going through the “pits of hell.” Following the stoppage, he was transported to a hospital for observation but later issued a gracious statement on social media, writing, “Not my night, no excuses,” while praising Garcia as “a great champion.”
Both fighters have faced doping-related controversies in recent years. Garcia tested positive for the banned anabolic agent ostarine following his April 2024 victory over Devin Haney, resulting in a no-contest ruling and a one-year suspension. His team attributed the positive test to contaminated supplements. Benn’s case involved two positive tests for clomifene before a 2022 bout, preventing him from fighting in Britain for two years. He maintained his innocence and was eventually cleared by the National Anti-Doping Panel.
Saturday’s event reportedly yielded purses of approximately $15 million each for Garcia and Benn, underscoring the high-profile nature of the matchup. With his title defense concluded emphatically, Garcia appears poised to pursue further unification in the welterweight division, while Benn’s next career steps remain to be seen.