Conor Benn is preparing for the first world title fight of his decade-long professional career, facing WBC champion Ryan Garcia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday. The 29-year-old Briton faces a significant physical hurdle, as he must hit the 10st 7lb (67kg) welterweight limit during Friday’s weigh-in—a weight he has not successfully reached in over four years.
Describing the process of shedding the weight, Benn told reporters that the experience has been exceptionally difficult. He likened the ordeal to being “dragged down to the pits of hell,” noting that he feels as though he had a fight with Satan before being brought back to life. Despite the severity of the cut, Benn insists he remains healthy and is determined to make the weight, acknowledging that the high-profile nature of the Vegas headline bout makes the sacrifice worthwhile.
Benn’s recent career path has seen him compete at higher weights. He last weighed in at the welterweight limit in April 2022 against Chris van Heerden. Since then, he moved up to 11st 6lb (73kg) for two high-profile bouts against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025, a series that included his first professional defeat followed by a points victory seven months later.
The physical toll of returning to 147lbs has drawn scrutiny from observers, including former world champion Carl Froch and previous opponent Chris Algieri, who have questioned whether the weight loss might leave Benn depleted. Benn has dismissed these concerns, stating he expects to rehydrate significantly and enter the ring on fight night at approximately 12st 7lb (80kg). He also confirmed that, should he win the title, he intends to vacate the belt immediately to return to the middleweight or super-middleweight divisions.
Tensions surrounding the event were heightened on Tuesday when Garcia failed to appear for a scheduled face-off at Mandalay Bay. Benn, who had been informed in advance that the champion would be absent, attended the event anyway and jokingly squared up to his father, boxing legend Nigel Benn. Conor Benn labeled Garcia a “strange geezer” and criticized the champion’s no-show as a lack of professionalism.
“I’m not bothered, I’ve dealt with worse,” Benn said regarding the incident. “If he turns up or not, it makes no difference to me. Irrespective of how hard the weight cut is or anything else, we owe it to the public to give the fans what they want.”
Throughout the week, Nigel Benn has remained a constant presence by his son’s side, despite earlier suggestions that he might step back from his son’s career. Conor Benn remains focused on the challenge, maintaining that his love for difficult tests is what drives his professional life. The report also notes that benn, 29, faces WBC champion Garcia at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday in the first world title fight of his 10-year professional career. The report also notes that making weight has been the hardest thing I’ve done. The report also notes that but I won’t moan when I’m getting paid a fortune to headline in Vegas for a world title. The report also notes that benn’s appearance in pictures and videos posted on social media during fight week has prompted concern among some observers over the effects of dropping back to welterweight. The report also notes that it is particularly pertinent given the contrasting styles on Saturday. The report also notes that front-foot fighter who likes to apply pressure, while American Garcia, 28, possesses fast hands and is renowned for a dangerous counter left hook, benn is an aggressive. The report also notes that otherwise it’s boring,” he added, i love challenges and that’s what life is about. The report also notes that there was little outward sign of Benn being weighed down by the occasion, for all the difficulty presented by the weight cut.
