British boxer Conor Benn has criticised Ryan Garcia, branding him a ‘bottler’, after the American failed to appear for their scheduled first face-off ahead of their WBC welterweight title fight this weekend in Las Vegas.
Garcia’s absence on Tuesday left Benn to appear alone at the Mandalay Bay Hotel media opportunity, joined only by his father, boxing legend Nigel Benn, who jokingly squared up to his son in Garcia’s place.
Garcia’s No-Show and Benn’s Strong Reaction
Conor Benn, 29, expressed his disappointment at Garcia’s absence, stating, “I apologise for Ryan doing what Ryan does and bottling it. We turn up, we’re here, ready for the face-off,” according to BBC Sport. His father Nigel Benn also made a pointed remark, telling his son: “I’m not Ryan, I turn up!”
Garcia, 28, the reigning WBC welterweight champion, later took to Instagram to mock Benn, saying he had a “nice relaxing time as Conor wastes time showing up to a face-off” and adding, “Back to the sauna you go, sausage getting cooked every way.”
Benn, who is challenging for a world title for the first time, issued a stern warning to his opponent. “He needs to get his s*** together because come Saturday, he’s in for a real, real shock,” Benn said, as reported by Sky Sports. He also stated he relishes being the underdog, believing he performs at his best under such conditions and that past pressures have prepared him for this moment.
The Welterweight World Title Bout
The highly anticipated clash between Benn and Garcia is set for Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena. Garcia is the favourite for the contest, which marks his first defence of the WBC welterweight title he secured against Mario Barrios in February.
For Conor Benn, this fight represents his inaugural world championship bout, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, Nigel Benn, who held both WBO middleweight and WBC super-middleweight titles. Benn enters the fight with a professional record of 25-1, following successive victories against Chris Eubank Jr in November 2025 and Regis Prograis in April 2026.
Much attention has been given to Benn’s weight cut for this contest. The Briton has not competed at 10st 7lb (67kg) since 2022, having previously fought at middleweight against Eubank Jr and at a 10st 12lb (69kg) catchweight against Prograis. Benn has openly admitted to a “tough weight cut” for this welterweight challenge and has indicated he does not intend to remain long in the division. Garcia, who has previously missed weight for a light-welterweight contest, is not expected to face issues with the welterweight limit.
Remaining Pre-Fight Engagements
Despite the initial no-show drama, Benn and Garcia are still scheduled for two further meetings before fight night. A news conference is planned for Thursday, followed by the official weigh-in on Friday.
Complications for the Co-Main Event
The event also features a cruiserweight co-main bout between Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian. Mikaelian, the WBC champion, faces potential stripping of his belt after reportedly withdrawing from a mandatory challenger fight to face Opetaia. Further complicating matters, veteran promoter Don King claims an exclusive deal with Mikaelian and has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing, the promoter for the event. Dana White of Zuffa Boxing confirmed receipt of the legal letter but insisted the fight would proceed as planned.
