Ryan Garcia defends his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn this Saturday in Las Vegas under Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing banner. Tensions mounted over weight limits after Garcia requested a specific glove size exception ahead of the bout.
Garcia captured his title in February with a victory over Mario Barrios and now faces Benn, who returns to 147 pounds for the first time in over four years. Benn challenges for a world title for the first time following wins against Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis.
The pre-fight build-up took an unusual turn when WBA champion Teofimo Lopez disguised himself with a fake beard to interrupt the press conference and call out Garcia. Yet the primary technical focus centers on the strict weight limit. Nevada regulations state that any fighter over 148 pounds must wear 10oz gloves. Garcia revealed he formally requested permission to wear 8oz gloves even if the weight limit is breached.
Explaining his tactical request, Garcia said: “I’m just making sure that if he does not come in on weight, I still want to use the weapons that I’m used to using, which are 8oz gloves.”
He further clarified: “Because that’s what I always fight at 147 and I don’t want to fight with 10oz. It’s more deadly at 8oz anyway, so that’s kind of why I did that.”
Benn dismissed the issue, pointing directly to his clean record on the scales. The British challenger highlighted his reliability compared to Garcia’s previous weight struggles.
Benn said: “You’re talking to someone who’s never missed weight versus someone who has missed weight previously, multiple times.”
He added: “So I don’t know, even I don’t even know why this has been brought up. ‘Oh, let me make a request for someone who’s never missed weight before. Let me put a request in.'”
A successful defence for Garcia clears the path for potential unification matches against Lopez. For Benn, securing the WBC crown would mark a major career peak in Las Vegas.
