Ryan Garcia will make the first defense of his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, ending a promotional standoff that had stalled the fight for months.
Turki Alalshikh announced the 12-round bout on X, billing it as “USA VS UK.” Dana White posted his own announcement shortly after. The card streams live globally on Paramount+ and exclusively on DAZN in the UK and Ireland.
The broadcast split is the tell. Garcia’s ties to Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN sat at the center of a legal fight that nearly killed the matchup. Golden Boy sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and TKO Group in June, alleging Zuffa was working with Garcia to stage the Benn fight without its consent. The letter stated that a Zuffa-promoted, Paramount+-broadcast bout would violate Golden Boy’s and DAZN’s rights, and that Golden Boy had not approved the terms.
Eddie Hearn later claimed DAZN had sent its own cease-and-desist to Zuffa several days before Golden Boy’s, asserting that Garcia was exclusive to the platform. Oscar De La Hoya was blunter on DAZN, saying Zuffa gets in the way and makes things difficult, and insisting Garcia would fight on DAZN.
The resolution is a compromise. The event is a Ring Magazine show co-promoted by Golden Boy and Zuffa Boxing, with both logos on the official poster, and DAZN keeps the UK and Ireland window.
Garcia Gets Canelo’s Weekend
The date carries its own weight. Mexican Independence Day weekend has long belonged to Canelo Alvarez, but Canelo’s fight with WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli in Saudi Arabia moved to October, freeing the slot.
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) returns to the building where he won the belt, outpointing Mario Barrios on February 21 by scores of 119-108, 120-107 and 118-109 after a first-round knockdown. That followed a loss to Rolly Romero in his first fight back from a suspension tied to a positive ostarine test, which turned his 2024 win over Devin Haney into a no-contest.
Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) is the WBC’s No. 1 contender at 147 and gets the first world title shot of his career. He drops back to welterweight for the first time since 2022 after a run at higher weights: a Fight of the Year loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in April 2025, a decision win in the November rematch, and a unanimous decision over Regis Prograis in April at a 150-pound catchweight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Benn split from longtime promoter Eddie Hearn to sign a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing in February. This is his second appearance under the banner.
The Trash Talk Started Immediately
Both men were posting inside the hour. “I told you in person, you aren’t a good enough fighter to beat me,” Garcia wrote on X. Benn answered: “Been building up to this for a decade. I won’t miss.”
Garcia first put the fight on record in May on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, before any contract existed, calling out Benn by name and framing it as personal after a confrontation at an awards show. That announcement is what triggered the standoff now settled.
