Boxing
Conor Benn tells Ryan Garcia after victory: “Keep my belt balmy”
Published
2 months agoon
Conor Benn didn’t have to wait long. Moments after his unanimous decision victory over Regis Prograis on Saturday night, the 29-year-old Briton grabbed the microphone and turned his attention to the fighter holding the belt he wants most.
“I want the next Ryan Garcia,” Benn said in the ring on the Netflix broadcast. “Garcia, balmy my belt. September, let’s go.”
Benn, who improved to 25-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a dominant 10-round decision over the former two-time super lightweight champion, has been the WBC’s mandatory challenger to Garcia’s welterweight title for months. Saturday’s performance, while not the explosive stoppage that some predicted, was exactly the kind of victory that was intended to force the hand of the sanctioning body.
“Garcia, I want my belt, keep it balmy!” repeated Benn. “I think me and Ryan are doing the stadium. This is a monster fight!!”
Garcia responds within minutes
Garcia didn’t keep Benn waiting. Minutes after the final bell, the WBC welterweight champion posted the following statement on X: “I’m losing to GARCIA VS BENN. Let’s do it!!!!!!”
The post quickly surpassed 3.6 million views. Benn quoted Garcia’s response with his own direct message: “This belt is mine @RyanGarcia.”
The exchange was the most direct public engagement between the two fighters to date. While Benn had been calling for the fight since Garcia won the WBC title with a dominant decision over Mario Barrios in February, Garcia’s immediate and enthusiastic response marked a shift from the non-committal stance champions typically take towards mandatory challengers.
Construction was underway
Benn stepped up his rhetoric ahead of the Prograis fight. In pre-fight interviews earlier this week, he acknowledged Garcia’s attractiveness while questioning his credibility.
“I think Garcia is suitable for boxing, he has character and he is entertaining, but he is also a liability,” Benn said.
The commentary captured the tension at the heart of the potential matchup. Garcia, 27, is one of boxing’s biggest commercial attractions and a fighter whose career has been defined by both turbulence outside the ring and brilliance inside it. His path to the WBC welterweight title took place through a failed drug test, a suspension, a heavyweight loss to Efe Ajagba and years of social media controversy before Barrios’ performance finally earned him the world title his talent always promised.
Benn’s career had its share of setbacks, including a protracted doping investigation by the British Boxing Control Board and the British Anti-Doping Commission that clouded his reputation for the better part of two years. However, having competed with Eubank Jr. and a novel promotional home in Zuffa Boxing, Benn is now particularly focused on fighting for the welterweight title.
Why fighting makes sense
The commercial logic is obvious. Benn is the biggest attraction in British boxing outside the heavyweight division. Garcia is one of the most popular athletes in the world, with a social media reach that dwarfs most of his peers. A must-see title fight between these two would have a crossover feel that few welterweight bouts can match.
Benn’s mention of September and the location of the stadium suggests he sees the fight as a major UK event, possibly at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Wembley. Garcia’s willingness to commit publicly rather than reject or ignore the call indicates at least an openness to the fight, although the distance between the enthusiastic post on X and the signed contract remains significant.
The WBC has yet to formally order a mandatory defense, but Benn’s status as the promotion’s top welterweight contender makes implementing a directive a matter of when, not if. Garcia also has options. After Barrios’ victory, he called up WBO super-lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and has a clause for an open rematch with Devin Haney, the WBO welterweight titleholder. How Garcia and his team prioritize these options over mandatory duty will determine the timeline.
What Saturday showed
Benn’s victory over Prograis wasn’t a career-defining performance, but it didn’t have to be. He controlled the tough, experienced former world champion for 10 rounds, survived a bloody stretch caused by accidental headbutts, and came back decisively in the championship rounds with body work and sustained pressure that would have tested any welterweight in the division. The score of 98-92 from all three judges indicated a player who did exactly what was expected of him without taking unnecessary risks.
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Boxing
Shane Mosley predicts PM Marvin Hagler vs PM Canelo: ‘I think he’s going to get him’
Published
52 minutes agoon
June 23, 2026
Two-division world champion Shane Mosley predicted how the fantastic fight between Canelo Alvarez and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler would go.
Canelo ruled four weight classes, earning world honors between super welterweight and featherlight heavyweight and becoming the division’s first-ever undisputed champion in an iconic 11-month span.
The 35-year-old’s strength seemed to have waned recently, with him failing to win a single break since 2021. defeat to former lightweight champion Terence Crawford in his last fight.
That being said, his reputation will be able to be reclaimed in September when is fighting for the WBC super middleweight world title.
Still, as his career nears its final chapter, fans wonder where Canelo ranks among the greatest champions of his country, the contemporary era and of all time, wondering how he would fare against other iconic fighters in the division he ruled.
Speaking on Mi Gallo boxing podcasthosted by two-time middleweight title challenger Gabriel Rosado, Mosley selected middleweight fan favorite Hagler to emerge victorious in a fantastic fight against top-ranked Canelo.
“I think Marvin could get him.”
Hagler never boxed outside the middleweight division during his 67-fight career, reigning as undisputed champion for seven years and boasting the sixth-longest reign in division history; during this time he became notable for defeating Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.
In total, Hagler won 62 of 67 professional fights, with his only three losses coming to Bobby Watts, Willie Monroe and Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as draws to Vito Antuofermo and Sugar Ray Searles.
Author: Sean Crose
“Whether it’s at Wembley Stadium, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas or outside my backyard, it’s still five years too tardy.” This is what Darshan Desai from Yahoo Sport claims in a recent column, in which he states directly that the supposedly upcoming Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua fight is already past its prime and has little significance. Let’s face it, this man is right. For whatever reasons, good or bad, Anthony, Joshua and Tyson Fury never had the opportunity to step into the ring while they were both in charge. And that, honestly, is very bad.
However, this could be a very good fight, worth saving. I say “maybe” because I’m still not convinced it will happen. People talk about things like location and little things like that. The truth is that these two came close to fighting, but they never did. Now their best days are behind them. There are more and more adolescent goats, Oleksandr Usyk conquered them twice apiece. What are these two fighting about… what exactly? Well, let me tell you: these two huge heavyweights are eager to fight because a brawl between them will answer the one question that makes boxing great: which one is the better fighter?
We still don’t have an answer to that question, so I’ll be fascinated to see how the Joshua-Fury fight ends if it actually happens. I’ll repeat: I’m not entirely convinced. One thing is certain, this is the last chance for this fight to become an vital event in the sport of boxing. Seriously, if it lasts beyond 2026, it will be an ancient man’s game…. At least that’s how some people will see it. It will certainly be seen as past its sell-by date.
Of course, if this fight does happen and turns into a thriller, the rematch will be widely seen on television or, in the parlance of the state-of-the-art world, streaming. People thought Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns had weakened before their rematch in the tardy 1980s, but the fight turned out to be a great fight, a classic worthy of the name. If such a match takes place between these two Englishmen, no one will care whether it is relevant or not. The emotions associated with the competition alone will make it vital.
It’s challenging to imagine that any of these men will actually have to fight each other or anyone at all at this point. They have made untold fortunes for themselves, and while boxers are known for leaking millions of dollars, none of them are expected to be on their doorstep anytime soon. However, warriors fight even when they are already at their peak, even when it is unsafe to continue fighting. There may be fewer of them than before, but both Fury and Joshua have a competitive spirit. And that still counts, even in an era where high-level players can go years without slipping between the ropes.
So yes, people will be interested in watching this fight. While the criticism is valid and well-founded, these two not-so-young men are adolescent enough to draw crowds. It won’t be vital. It certainly won’t be as it could be. But it will be something. And when it comes to fighting fans, sometimes something is just good enough. It shouldn’t be like this… but unfortunately it happens sometimes. Let’s hope the fight, if it actually happens, will be a doozy. It still has the makings of a great case.
Boxing
Emiliano Vargas targets fight with George Kambosos after Bryce Mills fight
Published
5 hours agoon
June 22, 2026
“Because before this fight, I would love to fight George Kambosos,” Vargas told Sean Zittel when discussing potential opponents after the Mills fight.
Emiliano stressed that his focus remains on Mills, but made it clear that he believes he is getting closer to the title.
“I’m going to show the world that I’m ready to fight for the title,” Vargas said.
The son of former two-time world champion Fernando Vargas believes that a good performance on the Jaron Ennis-Xander Zayas card can give him significant progress in the competition.
“After this fight, I would love to have a title eliminator or former world champion,” Emiliano said. “I’m second in the WBO rankings, 12th in the WBC. I’m there and I’m knocking on that door.”
Vargas comes into the fight off a win over Agustin Quintana in February. While this performance sparked debate among some fans, Emiliano considers the innings he saved as valuable experience in continuing to develop his game.
The undefeated fighter claims that during the last camps he expanded his training team and worked intensively on movement, angles and fighting under pressure. He also recently spent time in David Benavidez’s camp, drawing inspiration from the former world champion’s work ethic and aggressive style.
If Emiliano beats Mills on Saturday, attention will quickly turn to who will be next. From his comments, Kambosos is at the top of the list.
Kambosos, a former unified lightweight champion, would represent the most recognizable name of Vargas’ career and potentially take him one step closer to the title eliminator he thinks he wants next.

Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
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