Ryan Garcia showed no remorse for skipping Tuesday's scheduled face‑off with Conor Benn, calling it "funny" to watch the British contender pretend to square off against his own father, Nigel. Garcia is gearing up for his first defense of the WBC welterweight crown, a bout that will take place at the T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Earlier in the week the two fighters were supposed to meet at the Mandalay Bay Hotel for a media event, but Garcia simply did not appear. Benn later accused his opponent of "bottling it" and of abandoning the promotional obligations that come with a high‑profile title clash. At a press conference on Wednesday, Garcia offered his own explanation: "I wasn't there because I didn't want to be. Look, we have a face‑off at the press conference on Thursday, then the weigh‑ins on Friday, and then a final face‑off literally in the ring when the referees give you instructions.
I've been doing this for a long time. I've had fight weeks in Vegas before. I've never had to do a face‑off on Tuesday.
So I have a routine, and it's just something I didn't want to do. It was funny seeing him [Benn] staring at himself." Garcia's comments underscored his belief that the traditional face‑off ritual is largely theatrical and that he prefers to focus on the actual competition inside the ropes. He emphasized that his preparation routine has always included a press conference, a weigh‑in, and the final in‑ring stare‑down, and that adding an extra media face‑off on a Tuesday would have disrupted his rhythm. The media coverage surrounding the upcoming fight has been extensive.
Highlights from recent events include Jai Opetaia stopping Noel Mikaelian to set up a David Benavidez mega‑fight, and a dramatic two‑round knockout by Garcia over Benn that many analysts have already begun to predict. Garcia has also hinted at a possible unification bout with Teofimo Lopez after his defense, while Benn's camp has repeatedly assured fans that the British fighter will bounce back. Benn, for his part, expressed disappointment at Garcia's absence, saying it was disrespectful to the public who deserve a full promotional build‑up.
"Ultimately it's disrespectful to the public because they deserve it," Benn told reporters on Wednesday. "The public deserves us giving you guys the best. This is what we do. This is what we're here for." The fight comes after Benn's recent move up to middleweight for a bout with Chris Eubank Jr., a fight he lost in April 2025 before avenging the defeat later that year.
He then returned to a 150‑pound catch‑weight to defeat Regis Prograis in April, showing his willingness to compete across multiple divisions. If he makes the 147‑pound limit at Friday's weigh‑in, it will be his first welterweight appearance in more than four years; his last fight at that weight was against Chris van Heerden in April 2022.
Benn has been vocal about the skepticism surrounding his ability to make the welterweight limit, describing his weight‑cut journey as "being dragged through the pits of hell and having a fight with Satan." He endured a 15‑week dieting regimen to shed the necessary pounds, and he used the experience to fuel his confidence. "A lot of people said I couldn't make the weight, watch me do it," he declared, adding that he plans to move up to 160 or even 168 pounds after this fight, making this his final appearance at 147.
Garcia, however, warned Benn not to use weight‑cut excuses after the bout. "All we can do is go by past experience," he said.
"He cut back down to 150 pounds to fight Regis Prograis. We have seen how he bloated up. Now he has an extra three pounds to go.
I don't want to hear any excuses. He doesn't have a rehydration clause. I don't want to be hearing any crybaby s*** from him. He's trying to set up a narrative, because when he gets his a** whopped, he'll say: 'I was drained'.
I'm about to beat his a**, it doesn't matter how much he weighs." Both fighters are aware that the stakes are high. Garcia is looking to solidify his status as a dominant welterweight champion, while Benn aims to prove that he can compete at the highest level despite the weight‑cut challenges. The promotional hype, the missed face‑off, and the contrasting personalities have added layers of intrigue to a fight that promises fireworks in the Las Vegas arena.
Fans can expect a clash of styles: Garcia's speed, hand speed, and precision against Benn's power, resilience, and experience moving between weight classes. With the T‑Mobile Arena set to fill to capacity, the event is poised to become a defining moment for both athletes.
Whether Garcia's decision to skip the face‑off will be seen as a strategic focus on performance or a slight to the audience remains a point of debate, but the final verdict will be delivered in the ring, where the only language that matters is the one spoken by punches and the roar of the crowd.