Conor Benn has shown off a dramatic 32lb weight gain just hours after coming in one pound under the 147lb welterweight limit ahead of his bout with USA’s Ryan Garcia.
The 29-year-old Briton came in at 146lb (66kg) at Friday’s weigh-in for Saturday’s fight, half a pound heavier than champion Garcia.
Just 12 hours later, Benn revealed on social media that he had added 32lb, taking him to 12st 10lb (80.73kg).
Speaking at a ceremonial event in front of fans later on Friday, Benn already appeared noticeably bigger, with his face and shoulders having filled out.
‘Did it look hard? How did I look?’ he asked. ‘We’ll see tomorrow night how good I really feel.’
Benn had previously said he could weigh as much as 12st 7lb (80kg) by the time he stepped into the ring on Saturday evening (around 4am Sunday, UK time).
Benn revealed on social media that he had added an incredible 32lb hours after the weigh-in
The 29-year-old Briton had come in at 146lb (66kg) at Friday’s weigh-in for Saturday’s fight, half a pound heavier than champion Garcia before quickly adding it back on
Speaking at a ceremonial event in front of fans later on Friday (above), Benn already appeared noticeably bigger, with his face and shoulders having filled out
He has not fought at welterweight for more than four years, having moved up through the divisions before competing at middleweight during his two-fight rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr.
Now, for the biggest fight of his career, taking on Garcia for the World Boxing Council (WBC) title under the bright lights in Las Vegas, he has had to come all the way back down.
‘It feels like I’ve been dragged down to the pits of hell, had a fight with Satan and God brought me back to life,’ he told BBC Sport earlier this week.
‘Making weight has been the hardest thing I’ve done. I haven’t made weight for four and a half years so it’s going to be hard.’
Whether the weight cut affects Benn’s strength and power on Saturday night will be one of the central questions of his WBC world title fight.
Garcia has suggested Benn’s move back down could leave him vulnerable, but Benn was dismissive of that concern when he spoke to Daily Mail Sport earlier in the week.
‘You think I’ve been up at middleweight, mixed it with someone who’s competed at super middleweight? You think I’m worried about what a lightweight can do to me?’ he told this publication.
‘You think I’m concerned in the slightest about this guy? I’m not concerned about one little thing he brings to the table… that silly left hook of his is useless. He can bring whatever he wants. It don’t concern me.’
USA’s Garcia claimed the WBC title with a dominant points victory over Mario Barrios in February and is making the first defence of his belt against Benn on Saturday
Benn’s unusual route to this fight has been shaped by his rivalry with Eubank.
Their first meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2025 was the culmination of years of animosity between the two families, with Benn and Eubank Jr inheriting a rivalry that began with their fathers in 1990.
The fight itself was fought at a catchweight above 160lb, with Benn stepping up significantly from his previous division. Eubank won a close decision, leaving Benn to reflect on a performance in which he felt the occasion and the emotion had affected him.
Seven months later, the pair met again at the same venue. This time Benn won the decision, dropping Eubank twice in the final round in a dramatic conclusion to their second fight. It left them level at one victory apiece and appeared to finally close the door on one of British boxing’s most talked-about rivalries.
Benn insisted the atmosphere this week is nothing like those two nights when asked whether his hatred for Garcia compared.
‘This is nothing like the Eubank fight,’ he said. ‘The Eubank fight, there was nothing pleasant or friendly or fake about the Eubank fight. There was a lot more raw emotion in that fight and I let that get the better of me the first time. That won’t happen here.’
Garcia has won 25 of his 28 professional fights, including 20 by knockout, with two defeats and one no-contest. He claimed the WBC title with a dominant points victory over Mario Barrios in February and is making the first defence of his belt against Benn. Benn has 25 wins, 14 by knockout, and one defeat.
Benn said of his rival: ‘He just carries on like a spoiled brat, like a big child who throws his toys out of the pram. I’m not worried about him in the slightest. If anything, I’m gonna have a bit of fun with him. He’s a little bit sensitive, highly emotional, and a little bit insecure.’
There is also an uncomfortable shared history between the two men when it comes to drugs testing.
Benn’s original 2022 fight with Eubank was cancelled after he returned two adverse findings for clomifene, something he has consistently denied intentionally taking. Garcia subsequently returned an adverse finding for ostarine following his 2024 victory over Devin Haney, which he also denied intentionally taking.
Both men were asked at the fight’s press conference whether they had concerns that the other could use performance-enhancing drugs ahead of Saturday’s contest.
Neither appeared keen to make it a central issue, with the focus instead returning to the fight itself.
Benn defeated Chris Eubank Jr by unanimous decision to take revenge in their rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last November
Garcia has also questioned whether Benn’s career has prepared him for this level of opposition, arguing that the Briton is taking a step too far by challenging for the world title.
Benn’s response was typically blunt. ‘How is this too far? He quit against Tank Davis. He got outclassed by Rolly (Romero), and then got a world title shot with Barrios,’ he said.
‘Then there is me. Stepping up to fight the contenders up at middleweight, fight of the year up at middleweight, avenging my loss. Two big stadium shows. Just come off beating a two-time former world champion and having to make 147, which again I ain’t made in four years in six weeks.
‘What’s he talking about? Ultimately, who cares what he thinks? I don’t listen to quitters anyway.’
