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.