Conor Benn hits out at Ryan Garcia for 'bottling it' after American fails to show up for face-off in Las Vegas
Conor Benn will challenge Ryan Garcia for his WBC welterweight belt on Saturday night in Las Vegas; it will be the first time Benn has contested for a world title in his career and is relishing being the underdog
Wednesday 9 September 2026 12:35, UK
Conor Benn has hit out at Ryan Garcia, branding him a ‘bottler’ after the American was a no-show for their face-off ahead of Saturday’s WBC welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.
The two fighters were scheduled to meet for a media opportunity at Mandalay Bay Hotel on Tuesday, but Benn was the only one to appear.
- Benn vows to wreak havoc against Garcia in Las Vegas
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He was joined by his father, Nigel, and, with Garcia absent, Benn jokingly squared up to his dad, who appeared to mock the WBC welterweight titleholder, telling his son: "I'm not Ryan, I turn up!"
Benn, 29, will challenge for a world title for the first time in his career on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, hoping to emulate the achievements of his world champion father, who won the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight title in 1992.
Garcia, meanwhile, is set to make the first defence of his title, but was handed a stern warning by Benn ahead of their meeting.
"Saturday can't come soon enough," Benn said on Tuesday.
"I apologise for Ryan [Garcia] doing what Ryan does and bottling it. We turn up, we're here, ready for the face-off.
"He needs to get his s*** together because come Saturday, he's in for a real, real shock."
Ben comes into this fight off the back of successive victories. His first came in November 2025, when the English fighter exacted revenge on Chris Eubank Jr, after suffering the first professional defeat of his career against his rival in April of that year.
He returned to the ring in April 2026 and outscored Regis Prograis at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend his fight record to 25-1.
Garcia represents a step up in opponent for Benn, with the 28-year-old American having secured his WBC welterweight belt following his dominant unanimous victory against Mario Barrios in February.
But Benn is relishing his status as the underdog, and following a protracted war of words with the American, he wants to end their verbal feud once and for all.
"I like being the underdog," Benn said. "I think I perform at my best.
"I think every single one of my fights has led me to this moment. All the pressure I've had early on in my career has prepared me for nights like those at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"It's prepared me for the noise and the drama and the chaos. So come September 12, it's nothing new, nothing different."
