Boxing
Conor Benn tells Ryan Garcia after victory: “Keep my belt balmy”
Published
4 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
Pierce OLeary vs. Mark Chamberlain Live Results: Updates and Highlights
Published
1 day agoon
August 1, 2026
LIVE COVERAGE
World Boxing News provides live results and updates from Dublin as Pierce O’Leary faces Mark Chamberlain at super lightweight.
Queensberry Promotions returns to the 3Arena with an action-packed card headed by the unbeaten Irish star O’Leary, who meets former British champion Chamberlain in the main event.
The undercard also features Gary Cully, Reece Bellotti, Sean McComb, Steven Cairns, Ben Fail and several unbeaten Irish prospects.
Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain Results
Times are Local – IST
17:46
Gary Cully stopped Lee Reeves in the tenth round to improve to 20-2.
Cully overcame a fifth-round point deduction for repeatedly losing his gumshield before dropping Reeves twice in the final round to force the stoppage.
The victory marked Cully’s 11th knockout win as a professional.
17:01
Sean McComb returned with a comfortable six-round points victory over Miguel Antin.
McComb won every round on the referee’s scorecard, claiming a 60-54 decision to improve his record to 22-2.
16:31
Machlan Arthur improved to 2-0 with his second straight knockout by stopping Ryan Frost in the fourth round.
Arthur dropped Frost twice in the final session before the referee waved the contest off at 1:05 of round four.
Remaining Bouts
• Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – IBO World Super Lightweight Title (12)
• Royston Barney-Smith vs Reece Bellotti – Vacant IBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight Title (10)
• Gary Cully vs Lee Reeves – Super Lightweight (10)
• Steven Cairns vs Senan Kelly – Super Lightweight (10)
• Ben Fail vs Craig O’Brien – Super Welterweight (10)
• Bobbi Flood vs Tariq Davis – Super Welterweight (6)
• Adam Olaniyan vs Jonathan Claudio Sauco – Heavyweight (4)
• John Joe Carrigan vs Sean Murray – Super Welterweight (4)
• Sami Hamed vs Bela Istvan Orban – Super Welterweight (4)

Preview
Pierce O’Leary tops a major night of boxing in Dublin as the unbeaten Irishman takes on Mark Chamberlain for the IBO World super lightweight title.
O’Leary enters the contest looking to continue his rise through the rankings against the experienced Chamberlain, who aims to return to winning ways after a draw in his third outing since suffering the lone defeat of his professional career.
The chief support sees Royston Barney-Smith meet Reece Bellotti for the vacant IBO Inter-Continental super featherweight title.
Gary Cully also returns in an intriguing domestic clash with fellow unbeaten Irishman Lee Reeves, while Steven Cairns faces Senan Kelly in another all-Irish encounter.
Sean McComb, Ben Fail, Bobbi Flood, Adam Olaniyan, Machlan Arthur, John Joe Carrigan and Sami Hamed also feature on the Queensberry Promotions card.
Updates will be added below as the action unfolds in Dublin, with more live coverage on World Boxing News.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Barry McGuigan: Ryan Garcia Faces a Dangerman in Conor Benn at 147 lbs
Published
2 days agoon
August 1, 2026
Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan has named one half of the main event between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn as the “dangerman” at 147lbs.
The two welterweights will collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12, with Garcia making a first defence of his WBC world title.
He claimed the belt by dethroning Mario Barrios with a unanimous decision victory in February, which followed his surprising points loss to Rolando Romero in May 2025.
Interestingly enough, this defeat came shortly after his year-long doping ban, which he served on account of testing positive for ostarine ahead of his majority decision victory over Devin Haney.
The result of their showdown was then ruled a no-contest, with Garcia subsequently moving up to welterweight after failing to keep below the 140lb limit.
It now seems the 27-year-old is competing at a more natural weight while Benn, who tested positive for clomifene in 2022, has not made 147lbs since his second-round finish over Chris van Heerden that same year.
Speaking with talkSPORTIrish boxing icon McGuigan suggested that this – as well as the 29-year-old’s technical flaws – could prove a major factor against Garcia.
“[Benn’s] got that genetic code from his dad, and he’s got that explosiveness and everything else. But he is predictable – you can see when he’s going to throw.
“You ask yourself: is Garcia just a little bit too sharp for him? A little bit too cute. I think Garcia’s finally found the weight he’s most suitable [for]. I think he’s a dangerman at 147[lbs].
“Maybe Conor Benn has left it a little too late to make 147[lbs] again. I think that could be his Achilles’ heel. I make Garcia a slight favourite but would never write off Conor Benn – he’s got that fighting heart.”
Benn comes off a unanimous decision victory over Regis Prograis in April, which followed his two middleweight encounters with Chris Eubank Jr last year.
Boxing
Devin Haney Updates Fight Strategy After Keyshawn Davis Withdraws from Title Shot
Published
2 days agoon
August 1, 2026
Devin Haney’s immediate future has been thrown into uncertainty after Keyshawn Davis pulled out of their mandated contest on Friday.
The pair had been ordered to collide for Haney’s WBO world title, with Davis having been named as the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger at 147lbs.
Multiple reports then suggested that the 27-year-old was offered $3m by Top Rank, his promoter, only for ‘The Businessman’ to reject what would have been a career-high payday.
Subsequently, their bout went to a purse bit hearing, where Top Rank trumped Teofimo Lopez’s Takeover Promotions with a sum of $8,550,000.
This therefore gave Bob Arum’s outfit the promotional rights and, as per the usual 75/25 split in favour of the defending champion, Davis would have been entitled to a share of $2,137,500.
Since Thursday’s auction, though, Davis has excluded himself from the fight and left Haney without an obvious opponent for his first welterweight title defence.
Taking to social mediaWBO president Gustavo Olivieri explained that his organisation must now provide their champion with a solution.
“The WBO hereby confirms receipt of written notice from counsel on behalf of Keyshawn Davis advising that he will NOT accept the 25% purse split adjudicated pursuant to the official WBO purse bid proceedings and, accordingly, will NOT participate in the WBO welterweight mandatory championship contest against Devin Haney.
“In light of the foregoing, the WBO Championship Committee and Ratings Committee will convene to proceed in accordance with the WBO world championship rules and regulations. The applicable ruling will be rendered and published in due course.”
Re: WBO Welterweight Participant Keyshawn Davis
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) hereby confirms receipt of written notice from counsel on behalf of Mr. Keyshawn Davis advising that he will NOT accept the 25% purse split adjudicated pursuant to the official WBO purse bid…
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) July 31, 2026
At this stage, it remains to be seen whether Haney will be immediately ordered to face a new mandatory challenger or, given the situation, have the opportunity to make a voluntary defence.
Either way, the 27-year-old has not fought since dethroning Brian Norman Jr in November and is surely eager to return to action.
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