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Add FightsATW on GoogleOn Saturday night, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host the fight that could change who casual fans consider one of the faces of boxing. WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) will defend his title against Conor Benn (25-1, 14 KOs), and the bout will stream live on Paramount+.
Most fight fans, even casuals, know that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is still the “face of boxing,” even if he lost his last fight against Terence Crawford. But as the fan base that grew up with Canelo gets older, it leaves a void for fans ages 18-30. That’s where fighters like Garcia and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis have filled those voids, and fans in those age groups have followed them for one reason or another.
Davis is a huge ticket seller, but his actions outside the ring have cost him his status as an active fighter. Although he could be out a year or two and still sell out an arena, not fighting lets other fighters try to move up. Garcia has not only elevated even more during those times, but he has also been one of the few fighters to adapt to ever-changing social media platforms, and he is arguably more famous there than in boxing. He figured out long ago that if you make it on social media, it translates into putting butts in seats, which is what all fighters should aim to achieve.
With this fight against Benn, Garcia has an opportunity to cash in on the promotion he’s received outside his home network of DAZN and add to his profile, which can take him that much closer to becoming a global brand. How did Garcia position himself for that leap this time around, versus his previous fights? It wasn’t only his Kick streams but also his participation in a storyline for the WWE during one of their Monday Night RAW shows in Los Angeles. That night, Garcia went into the ring and hit WWE star Joe Hendry with a guitar.
That video got millions of views and opened Garcia up to a whole new audience. For example, my 6-year-old son, who now watches wrestling, talks about Garcia all the time as the guy who has a fight coming up and hit Hendry with a guitar. That’s how you build new audiences. If Garcia can put together an impressive win on Saturday, he will raise his profile above where he currently sits.
As for Benn, he may be a guy who isn’t liked among boxing fans, but his name draws plenty of attention when you’re discussing Google search analytics and more. Although he hasn’t adapted to the things Garcia has done to further his profile, a big win for Benn will change a lot of the hate toward him and elevate him as a star in the making.
With Paramount+, an app associated with widely popular shows like Mobland, Yellowstone, Lioness, and more, this fight could draw in casual fans who have the app for those shows. An impressive performance by either fighter may keep those casual fans for a while, so a lot is on the line for these two fighters.
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