Ryan Garcia was a no-show for his first scheduled face-off with Conor Benn on Tuesday in Las Vegas, ahead of their WBC welterweight title fight this weekend. Benn responded by branding his opponent a “bottler” after appearing alone for the media opportunity.

Garcia Skips First Face-Off

Garcia, 28, was due to attend a photo opportunity with Benn, 29, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel but skipped it, leaving Benn to appear with his father, boxing legend Nigel Benn. Nigel Benn jokingly pretended to face off with his son, telling him: “I’m not Ryan, I turn up!”, according to Sky Sports.

Conor Benn stated, “I apologise for Ryan doing what Ryan does and bottling it. We turn up, we’re here, ready for the face-off,” as reported by the BBC. He added a warning to Garcia: “He needs to get his s*** together because come Saturday, he’s in for a real, real shock.” Garcia later mocked Benn on Instagram, writing: “Nice relaxing time as Conor wastes time showing up to a face-off,” and “Back to the sauna you go, sausage getting cooked every way.”

Weight Cut Concerns and Upcoming Encounters

The upcoming fight, which marks Benn’s first world championship bout, has seen considerable discussion around his weight cut. The Briton has not competed at 10st 7lb (67kg) since 2022. Benn had two previous fights against Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight, followed by a 10st 12lb (69kg) catchweight bout against Regis Prograis in April. While the full text is unavailable, Bad Left Hook noted Benn admitted to a “tough weight cut” for this contest. Benn has also indicated he does not intend to remain long at welterweight.

Garcia has previously fought at lightweight and light-welterweight, missing weight for his light-welterweight contest against Devin Haney in 2024. However, he is not anticipated to face similar issues for this welterweight defence. The two fighters are scheduled to meet twice more before Saturday’s fight night, with a news conference on Thursday and the official weigh-in on Friday.

Title Fight Details and Co-Main Event Drama

Garcia, the favourite for the contest, will be making the first defence of his WBC welterweight title. Benn, meanwhile, is challenging for a world title for the first time in his career and is “relishing being the underdog,” according to Sky Sports. The main event takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the co-main event, Jai Opetaia is set to fight Noel Mikaelian in a cruiserweight bout. Mikaelian, the WBC champion, faces potential stripping of his belt after withdrawing from a mandatory challenger fight to face Opetaia. The co-main event is further complicated by veteran American promoter Don King, who claims an exclusive deal with Mikaelian. King has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing, demanding the fight’s cancellation. Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White confirmed receipt of the legal letter but insisted the bout would proceed as planned, stating he has “always had good dealings with Don (King)” and does not interfere with contracts.