Ryan Garcia defends WBA title against Conor Benn in September
Ryan Garcia will defend his WBA welterweight title against Conor Benn on Sept. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Dana White announced Tuesday.
The matchup headlines Mexican Independence Day weekend and streams exclusively on Paramount+, marking the first global Zuffa Boxing card to air solely on the platform. Garcia, 25-2 with 20 knockouts, claimed the strap by beating Mario Barrios in February. Benn, 25-1 with 14 knockouts, earned his shot with a convincing victory over former two-time champion Regis Prograis earlier this year.
White touts biggest Zuffa Boxing fight yet
The UFC president called the bout the promotion's most significant boxing match to date. "This is such a great fight," White said, per Sherdog. "Conor Benn has won 26 of his 27 professional fights and is coming off a big win in the U.K. earlier this year. Ryan Garcia is one of the biggest stars in boxing and a world champion. These guys are in their prime, and it's a fight they've both wanted for a long time."
Garcia headlines a Mexican Independence Day card for the first time in his career. Benn challenges for his first world title after compiling a 25-1 record with 14 stoppages. White added that the fighters will meet face-to-face for the first time ahead of the September date.
Additional bouts for the T-Mobile Arena card will be announced in the coming weeks.
Original reporting:
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