Conor Benn Admits That Ryan Garcia Will Be His ‘Last Fight At 147’

The Conor Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) vs Ryan Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) showdown is set to take place on September 12. As the ring at the T-Mobile Arena awaits, Benn dropped a rather surprising bomb: he wishes to venture out of the division.

Talking to the Ring Magazine, Benn opened up about that one factor that enticed him to take up the Garcia fight.

“Listen, he’s got the belt I want. He’s in the way. So for me, that’s what this is. And he wants to say he wants to take it lightly, and the disrespect, and for me it’s just about going in there and doing what I do, which is putting on a clinical performance,” he said.

After leaving Matchroom and signing with Zuffa Boxing in February 2026, he explicitly identified Garcia as the kind of major fight he wanted. Zuffa was looking for a marquee fight for its new boxing operation, while Benn had just rebuilt his profile through the Eubank Jr. fights and was positioned for a major world-title opportunity.

Then Benn beat Regis Prograis on April 11, which was important because it gave him the momentum and credibility to push the Garcia fight. After that, he publicly made Garcia his priority. ‘KingRy’, meanwhile, was the WBC welterweight champion, the belt that glistened in front of Benn’s eyes. However, this might just be his last fight in the division.

“It’s hard, it’s brutal. This is my last fight at 147 and when I win the world title I’ll move on. For me, I haven’t made 147 for four years so it’s challenging, don’t get me wrong, it’s really hard,” he said. “Just think, I went up to 183 pounds for the Eubank fights. So, it’s hard getting it done.”

“For Family Pride”

Meanwhile, his showdown against Chris Eubank Jr. still remains one of the fights that is close to his heart. In the same interview, he revealed why the fight transcended titles and money.

“Beating Eubank, there will always be something special about that. There will always be something special about the first fight. I preferred the first fight over the second, it was a fight of the year and only Eubank could’ve taken me there…In terms of theatrics and drama and chaos, it was a movie,” he said. “Winning the world title, for myself is very personal whereas the Eubank fights were for the family name, for family pride, it was for DNA, for bragging rights.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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