A fight between challenger Conor Benn and champion Ryan Garcia has finally been officially announced.
The bout has been building for several months. Garcia captured the WBC belt with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios in February before immediately identifying Benn as his preferred first defence, while the Brit has repeatedly welcomed the opportunity since signing with Zuffa Boxing earlier this year, strengthened by a mandatory position with the WBC despite not fighting at 147lbs for four years and prior to his high-profile failed doping tests.
The pair are now set to meet for Garcia’s WBC welterweight world title on September 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as announced by Zuffa’s Dana White. The Mexican Independence Day weekend slot has been dominated by Canelo Alvarez in recent years, and will see fans descend on Sin City. The Mexican icon had previously booked his return against Christian Mbilli for the same date in Saudi Arabia, but it was recently pushed back to October.
Benn heads into the contest on the back of a unanimous decision victory over former two-time world champion Regis Prograis in April, his first outing since ending his rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr. Garcia, meanwhile, remains one of the sport’s biggest attractions and will be looking to make a successful first defence of the title he claimed from Barrios.
Bad blood between the pair has simmered throughout negotiations, with Garcia regularly targeting Benn on social media and in interviews, while the Essex fighter has insisted he is ready to hand the American champion another high-profile defeat.
Victory for Benn would see him become a world champion for the first time in his career and prove he belongs at that level, while Garcia has the chance to strengthen his position at the top of the welterweight division by defeating one of Britain’s biggest boxing stars.
