Zuffa Boxing, led by Dana White, went shopping for its first marquee client this year.
The group reportedly spent $15 million to sign…Conor Benn?
Yes, Conor Benn.
Casual boxing fans probably had little idea about who he was. For starters, he is a 29-year-old Brit who will fight Ryan Garcia in a welterweight title bout Saturday, Sept. 12 in Las Vegas.
Though Benn is a household name in England, this fight is a chance to formally introduce to the United States. And his last name already might ring a bell.
Conor Benn is the son of Nigel Benn, who this year was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Conor Benn is still looking for his first championship belt. His father owned two. In 1990, Nigel Benn held the WBO middleweight title and between
1992 and 1996 he held the WBO super-middleweight title.
But that hasn’t ensured Conor Benn of respect from the likes of Garcia.
“A handsome Squidward’’ is how Garcia described his upcoming opponent, referring to the character from SpongeBob SquarePants.
Assessing Conor Benn's power
After Benn lost to former middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. by unanimous decision in 2025, he got his signature victory in the rematch later in the year.
Benn knocked down Eubank twice in the 12th round and won handily on the scorecards. But Eubank was 36, and Benn's power remains questionable. He is 25-1 with 14 knockouts and has failed to knock out any of his past five opponents. That KO drought stretches back to 2022 and his TKO victory over Chris Van Heerden.
Another issue: weight cutting. Benn, who's looked most comfortable fighting at the 160-pound middleweight division, needs to weigh in at no more than 147 pounds for his fight against Garcia. It will be the first time he's fought at 147 pounds in more than four years.
But in April, for his last fight, Benn weighed in at 149½ pounds for a 150-pound catchweight bout. He fought Regis Prograis, a former champion at super lightweight and light welterweight, and Benn won by ease on the scorecards.
But he never knocked down Prograis. Will he be strong enough in the ring with Garcia?
Conor Benn tainted
Benn and Garcia's careers are similarly tarnished.
After dominating Devin Haney in 2024, Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, a banned substance, and was suspended for a year.
In 2022, Benn tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance. The controversy and suspensions delayed his first fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Garcia fight offers Conor Benn a shot at more than the title
