Conor Benn could be moving closer to fighting for his maiden world title.
Benn has had a rather stop-start career so far, with much of it dominated by a pair of fights with Chris Eubank Jr, his long-time family rival.
The first was delayed by almost two years when he tested positive for banned substances and then ended with him losing a unanimous 12-round decision. Six months later he took the rematch in November 2025 and reversed the result with a 12-round win of his own.
That was up at 160lbs, and since then he has been trimming back down to his more natural welterweight division, though he fought former champion Regis Prograis at 150lbs earlier in the year and took a 10-round points decision.
Since then, he has been vocal about his desire to fight for a strap, and that could now be one step closer, according to a new post on X by Oscar De La Hoya.
“Working on Ryan Garcia versus Benn. I just got the memo today, so that’s the fight that everybody wants to see, so I’m going to make it happen for you guys.”
Garcia is the current WBC welterweight champion and previously held the WBC interim lightweight title in 2021. He has lost twice in his 25-fight career, first to Gervonta Davis in 2023, then to Rolando Romero in May 2025.
Last time out, he picked up the title with a unanimous decision over Mario Barrios and has previously announced the fight with Benn as a done deal for September, though nothing has yet been fully confirmed.
