Ryan Garcia holds off Conor Benn to keep WBC welterweight crown
Ryan Garcia is still WBC welterweight champion. He beat Conor Benn by majority decision on 12 September at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Guardian
A majority decision means two judges scored the fight for Garcia and the third called it even. There were no knockdowns reported in the decision, just 12 close, hard-fought rounds for the belt.
It was Garcia’s first defence of the title. He won it in February by dropping Mario Barrios and outpointing him over 12 rounds to become champion for the first time.
Welterweight means a 147lb limit. Both men made it comfortably at the Friday weigh-in, Garcia at 145.5lb and Benn at 146lb, with the fight contracted at 147lbs and no second-day rehydration clause in place. WBC
Benn came into the night as the challenger in every sense. The 29-year-old Brit was undefeated and fighting for a world title for the first time. Garcia, by contrast, arrived with a professional record of 25-2 with 20 knockouts and as the bookmakers’ favourite.
Benn earned his shot after settling his rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr. He beat Eubank Jr by unanimous decision in their London rematch last November, which means all three judges scored for him. That win rebuilt his momentum after a long spell out of the ring following a disputed drugs case, which the WBC closed in 2023 after ruling the finding was linked to heavy consumption of eggs.
The stakes in Las Vegas were high. The reported combined purse was around $30m. The WBC also created a special “Tollan Topiltzin” belt for the winner to mark Mexico’s Independence weekend on 16 September, alongside its commemorative jewels for the date.
The main-event ringwalks were scheduled for around 10:30 p.m. ET on 12 September, which was 3:30 a.m. BST on Sunday 13 September for viewers in Britain. The fight was carried live on DAZN Pay-Per-View. DAZN
There was movement lower down the card too. Heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter stopped Raphael Akpejiori in the first round of their undercard bout. Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who holds belts at 200lbs, was also scheduled to face Noel Mikaelian on the show.
For fans, this means the welterweight picture stays with Garcia for now. He kept his belt at the first attempt. Benn loses his unbeaten record, but he went the full championship distance in his first world-title fight.
