Conor Benn is ready for his championship moment against Ryan Garcia

LAS VEGAS – In the last two years, Conor Benn has headlined two pay-per-view cards at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing the consensus fight of the year to Chris Eubank in April 2025 and then avenging that loss in November before putting on a clinic against Regis Prograis, again in Tottenham, in the co-main event of Fury vs. Makhmudov in April 2026.

Benn will walk into the ring at T-Mobile Arena for a moment that eclipses all of that on Saturday, as he’s set to take on Ryan Garcia for the WBC welterweight title in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. 

To put it simply, only a small percentage of fighters in any era reach the heights that Benn has reached in his largely Britain-based career. And yet, until he signed to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, a not insignificant percentage of North American boxing fans were only either familiar with him because of his legendary father, Nigel, or were simply not aware of him at all. Benn has only fought twice in the States, the first time being in Long Island in 2017 and the other being his comeback fight from a 2023 doping suspension in Orlando. 

If Benn wins the belt over the ever polarizing Garcia in Vegas on Saturday, it’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll have opened up a new market of adoring fans and set himself up for a long-term residency in the Boxing Capital of the World.

“I just want people to watch my fights and have them be exciting fights,” Benn said. “With big characters, big personalities. Give people value for money. Entertainment, drama, theatrics. I want kids when they're older, to sit down with their family and say ‘Oh, yeah, I remember. We sat down as a family and we watched you fight every fight’ … That's what I'm here for. That, for me, is legacy. Over any title, over any accolade, over any accomplishment.”

For both Benn and White, the obvious hope is that a statement win over Garcia this weekend will establish him as a generation-defining fighter in two continents. Garcia is about as definitive of a test that can be offered to Benn in America at this point, both in the ring and out of it. On Tuesday, Garcia was a no-show to a planned face-off between the two and arrived hours past his scheduled time at Wednesday’s media day.

“It makes no difference to me,” Benn said. “Ultimately. It's disrespectful to the public because the public deserves it. The public deserves us giving you guys the best. This is what we do. This is what we're here for.”

Benn is objectively no stranger to the sport’s brightest lights and has carved a unique place in its history with his multi-generation rivalry with Eubank, but this is his first real opportunity to prove himself to the North American market. Beating Garcia would be one thing, but you get the sense that Benn wants to humiliate him. As much as redemption against Eubank meant, it’s simply not comparable to beating one of the biggest names of a generation and doing so in the city that fighter resides full-time. And in Benn’s eyes, all of the pressure is on Garcia. 

“I'm going in there and I'm looking for the stoppage,” Benn said. “That's it. I'm going to come out the way I always come out, which is fast, heavy, aggressive. And God willing, it's one hell of a fight … The pressure is on Ryan, completely. You think anyone's giving me a chance in this fight? 20 amateur fights, I haven’t made 147 for four and a half years. The weight problem. No one's giving me a chance. 

“The pressure is all on him. He's the champion, right? He's the guy, right? He's one with lightning fast hands, right? He's a knockout artist, right? Cool. No problem. As for pressure, no, there's no pressure. I have personal goals. This is my personal goal.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Benn to overcome will be the effects of his weight cut. Benn fought Eubank at 160 pounds and claims this will be his last fight at 147, despite his proficiency fighting at 147 compared to his more modest showings at heavier weights.

“It’s been four and a half years since I made (147), and it does feel like I've been through the pits of hell,” Benn said. “When I mean pits of hell, I had a fight with Satan and God brought me back to life. That's how it feels making this way, but ultimately I've done it..  You’ve got to think, I was walking around 185 pounds for the Eubank fight. I was solid. Felt good, felt strong. But when the opportunity like this comes up and you have the magnitude of the event, a fight for the world title in Vegas, headlining. What can I do, say no?”

In fairness, it wasn’t exactly easy for Benn to win over the hearts of the British fans either. Doubly so when considering he spent his childhood in a Spanish mansion, basking in the luxuries that come with having a superstar athlete as a father. In Benn’s mind, however, the fact he didn’t resign himself to a life of oceanside comfort shows just how much he wants to become an immortal in this sport. Immortality starts with beating Ryan Garcia on Saturday, and Benn’s desire for that moment couldn’t be any more clear.

“Ultimately, I don't have to box,” Benn said. “My dad's given me a very privileged, blessed life. A blessed upbringing. Raised on the island of Mallorca, in a mansion, and go to private school. So do I have to box? No. But ultimately, is my dad in the ring fighting for me? 26 times. Secured the fight of the year, up at middleweight, two weights heavier than I fought at the time. Sold out back-to-back stadium shows. 

“Was that my dad?”