Ryan Garcia Says Conor Benn Is Next

Ryan Garcia, the WBC welterweight champion, has publicly named Conor Benn as his next opponent for August.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has tempered the August timeline, suggesting September 12 is the more realistic landing spot if earlier dates cannot be finalized — a date that would place the fight in direct competition with Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli in Riyadh.

“It’s going to be in August. We’re gonna have it in Vegas. His name’s Conor Benn, from the UK. We’re gonna eat that up. Conor’s about to get blasted,” Garcia said

Benn earned his mandatory position and his shot at this conversation through his Zuffa Boxing debut on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he beat Regis Prograis by unanimous decision at a 150-pound catchweight. He called out Garcia immediately after the final bell, and Garcia has now answered. The fight makes sense on paper — two young, marketable, heavy-handed welterweights, a genuine title on the line, and enough personality on both sides to sustain a build-up.

The obstacle is promotional. Benn fights under Zuffa Boxing and Dana White. Garcia is with Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya — a relationship that carries well-documented friction with the White camp. Despite this being the case, Benn’s manager Keith Connolly says talks are underway.

“We’re in the middle of negotiating [Garcia-Benn], along with some other big fights. I could see it happening; I could see it falling apart – but we’re targeting that fight right now. I think that’s a great fight for both guys. It’ll be a massive fight if it’s over here [in the UK] and it’ll be a massive fight it it’s in [Las] Vegas. It’s a sell-out wherever it goes. I think we’ll know in the next couple of weeks where we’re headed, but that’s definitely the fight that we want,” Connolly stated