Ryan Garcia successfully defended his WBC welterweight title with a second-round technical knockout against Conor Benn on September 12, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Garcia dropped the British challenger with a sharp right hand before referee Thomas Taylor stopped the bout at 1:25 of the second round.
Ryan Garcia Secures Second-Round TKO at T-Mobile Arena
Ryan Garcia needed just 4:25 to dispatch Conor Benn in the first defense of his WBC welterweight title on September 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. The champion weathered an early-round surge from the challenger before landing a decisive right hand that sent Benn to the canvas early in the second round.
Moments after the knockdown, Garcia overwhelmed Benn against the ropes with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to wave off the bout in front of an announced sold-out crowd of 18,855. The victory improved Garcia’s professional record to 26-2 with 21 knockouts, cementing his status in the division following his February title win against Mario Barrios, where he captured the WBC welterweight world title in a dominant points victory.
“I kind of figured he would just come at me crazy. Second round, I said I’m tired of him coming forward; I’m gonna stand my ground a little bit … and then he got caught with a hellacious one.”
Ryan Garcia, WBC welterweight champion
He’s exactly what I thought he was; he went in and tried to fight me. I think he needs to be a little bit more patient. I don’t think he has enough experience. I think he will be back. I have a new level of respect for him. Garcia
Conor Benn Weighs Future After First Career Knockout Defeat
For Conor Benn, the loss marked his first knockout defeat and an abrupt end to his maiden world-title challenge, bringing his record to 25-1 with 14 KOs. The 29-year-old Briton had moved down in weight for this fight after fighting as a welterweight in April 2022, moving up two divisions to middleweight to take on Chris Eubank Jr. over the course of two fights in 2025 (losing the first and winning the second), and facing Regis Prograis in April at 150 pounds.
Benn is the son of former British world champion and 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Nigel Benn, a former world middleweight champion whose career peaked in the 1990s. Last year, Benn headlined two fight cards in front of sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London with Chris Eubank Jr., whose father, Chris Eubank Sr., was the elder Benn’s main rival decades earlier.
Addressing his supporters on social media days after the fight, Benn reflected on his career in an emotional statement on X on Monday.
“Everybody keeps asking ‘What’s next for Conor Benn?’ The truth is, I don’t have the answer. If you’d asked the 19 year old version of me whether I thought I’d be standing here ten years later, having lived through everything I have, I’d have told you that you were crazy. I train hard. I sacrifice. I’ve given this game 110% every time I’ve stepped through those ropes, I’ve wanted to give people unforgettable nights and entertain. That’s what this has always been about for me.”
Conor Benn, challenger
Betting Odds and Promotional Backing
Heading into the showdown, betting markets favored the defending champion heavily. Garcia closed -300 at BetMGM, meaning bettors would have had to lay $300 to win $100. The bout was the main event of the biggest Zuffa Boxing event of the year, streamed live on Paramount+.
The success of Garcia transformed him into a boxing star despite igniting controversy by testing positive for a banned substance in 2024 and earning a temporary ban from the WBC over racially offensive comments made on social media. Although Garcia remains contracted to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions despite numerous public feuds and contract disputes, newly-crowned WBO light-welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson stated he would love to face him, noting, He’s still got a little ‘chip’ supposedly from when I beat him in the amateurs… Definitely open to making that happen.
Garcia also called out Stevenson in the aftermath of his February victory over Mario Barrios, stating, I want to be a great champion, I’m not scared. I fought Devin Haney. I’ll fight you, Shakur Stevenson. I’ll fight anybody.
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