Garcia vs. Benn Very Close

Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are closing in on a September 12 date in Las Vegas — promotional dispute and all.

The WBC welterweight title fight is nearly finalized despite negotiations that have been anything but straightforward. Oscar De La Hoya declared publicly that no talks had taken place involving Golden Boy Promotions and issued a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing over discussions conducted without his company's involvement.

Benn's manager said his fighter has already signed for the bout, suggesting the promotional dispute has been navigated sufficiently on at least one side of the negotiation to allow the paperwork to move forward.

The fight itself makes commercial sense regardless of how the promotional politics settle. Garcia claimed the WBC welterweight title on February 21 with a stoppage of Mario Barrios and is making his first defence against a mandatory challenger who has been building steadily toward exactly this opportunity.

Benn's most recent performance — a unanimous decision over Regis Prograis on April 11 — reinforced his position as the WBC's mandatory contender and kept his momentum intact heading into the biggest fight of his career.

For Benn, this is the world title shot his career has been pointing toward since he rededicated himself to boxing following the failed drugs test that kept him out of a 2022 fight with Chris Eubank Jr.

The wins over Eubank in their eventual rematch and over Prograis built the case. Garcia on September 12 in Las Vegas is where it gets tested against the highest level. For Garcia, the fight carries the weight of a first title defence against a motivated challenger.