Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn: Las Vegas Fight Preview and Full Undercard

Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn arrive in Las Vegas with plenty of bad blood, plenty of questions and very different ideas about how Saturday night will unfold.

Garcia has the speed, timing and dangerous left hook. Benn brings pressure, aggression and a willingness to turn a boxing match into an argument. Add Benn’s difficult return to welterweight and Garcia’s decision to miss the scheduled face-off, and the main event at the T-Mobile Arena already feels slightly combustible.

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

Ryan Garcia (25-2-0) defends his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn (25-1-0) in a fascinating clash of speed against pressure.

Garcia is at his most dangerous when an opponent comes towards him. He can give ground, create just enough space and fire the left hook before the other man has properly set his feet. Benn is unlikely to spend the night patiently waiting outside, though. He will want to close the distance, attack the body and make Garcia work at a pace he does not enjoy.

The big concern for Benn is the weight. He has admitted that getting back down to 147 pounds has been a gruelling process and indicated that this will be his final appearance at welterweight. That does not automatically mean he will be drained on the night, but it gives Garcia an obvious target: make Benn chase, force him to reset and see what is left in the second half of the fight.

Garcia created another talking point by failing to appear for the fighters’ scheduled face-off, prompting Benn to accuse him of “bottling it”. It may amount to absolutely nothing once the bell rings. Still, with Garcia, the build-up rarely passes without somebody wondering where his head is.

Benn’s route to victory looks fairly clear, if not particularly easy. He needs to get close without walking straight onto Garcia’s best punch. Garcia, meanwhile, will fancy catching Benn during one of those enthusiastic forward bursts. I can see Benn making this horribly uncomfortable for him early, but every aggressive step brings that left hook into play.

Jai Opetaia vs Norair Mikaeljan

The co-feature pits unbeaten Jai Opetaia (30-0-0) against Norair Mikaeljan (28-3-0) in a major cruiserweight contest.

Opetaia has established himself as one of the division’s leading fighters, combining fast combinations with a genuinely spiteful finish. Mikaeljan is experienced, awkward and unlikely to give the Australian the kind of predictable target he prefers.

There has also been late uncertainty surrounding the bout after Don King Productions issued a cease-and-desist letter concerning Mikaeljan’s promotional agreement. As things stand, the fight remains on the card, although the legal dispute has made its championship status less straightforward than it appeared when first announced.

If it goes ahead as scheduled, this should tell us plenty. Opetaia will be expected to set the pace, but Mikaeljan has been around long enough to know that charging into a firefight with him would be a poor career choice.

Key Undercard Fights

Former world champion Mark Magsayo (29-2-0) meets unbeaten Las Vegas fighter Andres Cortes (25-0-0) at lightweight. Magsayo brings the recognisable name and greater top-level experience, while Cortes gets the chance to protect his perfect record in front of a home crowd. It is a proper test for both men rather than a polite undercard exercise.

There is another interesting welterweight fight between Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-3-0) and Alexis Rocha (26-2-1). Ramirez moves into the division looking to revive his momentum, but Rocha is a strong, busy southpaw who will not make that transition comfortable. This could quietly become one of the best fights on the bill.

 

Undercard

Heavyweights Da’Mazion Vanhouter (12-0-0) and Raphael Akpejiori (19-3-0) meet in a bout that may not require much warming up. Vanhouter risks his unbeaten record against an opponent with considerably more professional experience.

At super-middleweight, undefeated Abel Gonzalez (8-0-0) faces Raul Salomon (16-4-1). Gonzalez is still building his record, while Salomon has enough rounds behind him to ask questions that a prospect cannot answer simply by looking impressive.

Vlad Panin (24-2-0) takes on Dakota Linger (17-7-3) at welterweight. Panin enters with the cleaner record, but Linger’s experience makes this a useful measuring stick rather than a free win.

Something has to give when unbeaten super-featherweights Oswaldo Molina (9-0-0) and Pablo Rubio (15-0-0) share the ring. Neither man has yet tasted defeat, and Rubio arrives with six more professional victories on his record.

Finally, Sean Garcia (7-1-1) meets Abraham Morales (4-1-0) at lightweight. Garcia will naturally receive extra attention on his brother’s card, but Morales has his own opportunity to spoil the family occasion.

Garcia against Benn will sell the card, but there is enough underneath it to keep boxing fans occupied. Now Benn has to make the weight, Garcia has to turn up, and Opetaia–Mikaeljan has to survive the lawyers. Never a dull week in boxing.