Conor Benn knows there is a sizeable question hanging over him before he even gets into the ring with Ryan Garcia this weekend: can he still make 147lb?Benn has not fought at welterweight for more than four years, having moved up through the divisions before competing at middleweight during his two-fight rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr.Now, for the biggest fight of his career, taking on Garcia for the World Boxing Council (WBC) title under the bright lights in Las Vegas, he has to come all the way back down.’I can’t wait. It’s going to be hard,’ Benn told Daily Mail Sport during camp. ‘I know it’s going to be hard, but I believe I can do it.’I think a lot of people are banking on the weight being an issue and me not having made 147 for four years. Ultimately, my discipline will prevail, and I’ll continue to show why I can do what people say I can’t do.’Whether the weight cut affects Benn’s strength and power on Saturday night will be one of the central questions of his WBC world title fight. Conor Benn works out at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ahead of his showdown with GarciaGarcia has suggested Benn’s move back down could leave him vulnerable, but Benn is dismissive of that concern.’You think I’ve been up at middleweight, mixed it with someone who’s competed at super middleweight? You think I’m worried about what a lightweight can do to me?’ he said.’You think I’m concerned in the slightest about this guy? I’m not concerned about one little thing he brings to the table… that silly left hook of his is useless. He can bring whatever he wants. It don’t concern me.’Benn’s unusual route to this fight has been shaped by his rivalry with Eubank.Their first meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2025 was the culmination of years of animosity between the two families, with Benn and Eubank Jr inheriting a rivalry that began with their fathers in 1990.The fight itself was fought at a catchweight above 160lb, with Benn stepping up significantly from his previous division. Eubank won a close decision, leaving Benn to reflect on a performance in which he felt the occasion and the emotion had affected him. Benn and father Nigel at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas – this is Benn’s second fight since he renewed the family feud with the EubanksSeven months later, the pair met again at the same venue. This time Benn won the decision, dropping Eubank twice in the final round in a dramatic conclusion to their second fight. It left them level at one victory apiece and appeared to finally close the door on one of British boxing’s most talked-about rivalries.Benn insisted the atmosphere this week is nothing like those two nights when asked whether his hatred for Garcia compared.’This is nothing like the Eubank fight,’ he said. ‘The Eubank fight, there was nothing pleasant or friendly or fake about the Eubank fight. There was a lot more raw emotion in that fight and I let that get the better of me the first time. That won’t happen here.’Garcia has been happy to trade insults with his British opponent, but Benn clearly has little time for his opponent’s personality.’He just carries on like a spoiled brat, like a big child who throws his toys out of the pram,’ Benn said. ‘I’m not worried about him in the slightest. If anything, I’m gonna have a bit of fun with him. He’s a little bit sensitive, highly emotional, and a little bit insecure.’There is also an uncomfortable shared history between the two men when it comes to drugs testing.Benn’s original 2022 fight with Eubank was cancelled after he returned two adverse findings for clomifene, something he has consistently denied intentionally taking. Garcia subsequently returned an adverse finding for ostarine following his 2024 victory over Devin Haney, which he also denied intentionally taking.Both men were asked at the fight’s press conference whether they had concerns that the other could use performance-enhancing drugs ahead of Saturday’s contest.Neither appeared keen to make it a central issue, with the focus instead returning to the fight itself. Ryan Garcia, Benn’s opponent, has also had controversy in his career over positive drug testsGarcia has also questioned whether Benn’s career has prepared him for this level of opposition, arguing that the Briton is taking a step too far by challenging for the world title. JEFF POWELL IN LAS VEGAS An advance guard of a couple of hundred UK fight fans arrived here in time to see Conor Benn stage a public work-out three days before he challenges Ryan Garcia for the world welterweight title in the intimidating T-Mobile Arena.They kicked up a din as Benn went through a few minutes of snappy pad work in a temporary ring pitched between a bar waiting to serve them and the MGM Grand Casino’s sports book. While admitting he can’t wait to wolf down fish and chips after all the dieting to make the 147lbs welter limit he assured them: ‘I feel great and I’ll give my all to give you all a night to remember.’But he refrained from removing his top to give them a glimpse of his body.Both he and Garcia looked sharp and calm in their brief appearances. The Benn faithful will be heavily outnumbered on Saturday night by the Americans and Mexicans rooting for King Ry but they are in good voice. <!- – ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/sport/boxing/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 – ->
Benn’s response was typically blunt. ‘How is this too far? He quit against Tank Davis. He got outclassed by Rolly [Romero], and then got a world title shot with Barrios,’ he said.’Then there is me. Stepping up to fight the contenders up at middleweight, fight of the year up at middleweight, avenging my loss. Two big stadium shows. Just come off beating a two-time former world champion and having to make 147, which again I ain’t made in four years in six weeks.’What’s he talking about? Ultimately, who cares what he thinks? I don’t listen to quitters anyway.’For all the talk, though, the immediate challenge is the scales. Benn has to get himself back down to a weight he has not made since 2022, before attempting to deal with one of boxing’s fastest and most dangerous punchers.He accepts it will not be straightforward, but he remains convinced the doubts surrounding him will only add to his motivation.’If I’d listened to everyone that didn’t believe in me, I’d be nowhere,’ he said. ‘But I continue to believe in me. And that’s all that matters… you believing in yourself. I believe in me to get me to where I am right now, to revenge that loss against Eubank, to put on Fight of the Year against Eubank, to then fight for the WBC world title.’I don’t need nobody else to believe in me. Continue to doubt me because doubt fuels the fire.’