Benn, Garcia Fight for WBC Title and $30 Million Purse After Drug-Test Scandals

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 11

$30 million is the reported combined purse for Saturday’s Las Vegas bout, where Ryan Garcia defends his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn after both rebuilt careers disrupted by positive drug tests.
Garcia, 28, served a one-year ban after ostarine positives around his 2024 Devin Haney win, while Benn, 29, was barred from fighting in Britain for two years before being cleared over Clomifene tests.
The matchup also carries sporting risk for Benn: it is his first world title shot, but he has not made the 147-pound welterweight limit for four-and-a-half years and must cut down from higher weights.
Garcia enters as the more proven welterweight after beating Mario Barrios for the belt in February, while Benn says the pressure is on the champion despite doubts over his weight cut and pedigree.
Their headline slot on Mexican Independence Day weekend underscores boxing’s fragmented anti-doping system, where commercial value can quickly turn past scandal into a title fight.