RYAN GARCIA MISSES FACE-OFF WITH CONOR BENN BEFORE TITLE FIGHT

Ryan Garcia did not attend the scheduled face-off with Conor Benn on Tuesday, the first promotional obligation of fight week before their WBC welterweight title bout in Las Vegas on Saturday. Benn appeared alone at the event, though his father Nigel Benn, a boxing legend, stood in for a mock face-off. After the no-show, Garcia posted on Instagram: "Nice relaxing time as Conor wastes time showing up to a face-off. Back to the sauna you go, sausage getting cooked every way." Benn responded to media gathered at the face-off, saying Garcia "didn't turn up" and adding that he would be "in for a war" on fight night.

Garcia, aged 28, defends his welterweight title at the T-Mobile Arena. Benn, aged 29, is competing in his first world championship bout and is considered the favourite. The two boxers are scheduled to meet again at a news conference on Thursday and the weigh-in on Friday. Garcia's absence follows a documented pattern of erratic behaviour in promotional settings. In February, ahead of a title fight against Mario Barrios, Garcia missed the WBC's mandatory 14-day video weight check deadline and was subsequently fined $5,000 by the organisation.

Benn has drawn particular scrutiny over his weight cut for this contest. The Briton has not fought at welterweight, the division's standard weight of 10 stone 7 pounds (67 kilograms), since 2022, having competed at middleweight and a catchweight division in recent bouts. Garcia has previously missed weight in his 2024 light-welterweight contest against Devin Haney but is not expected to encounter weight issues for Saturday's bout, according to reports.