Veteran promoter Bob Arum believes Ryan Garcia’s first welterweight world title defence against Conor Benn will last three minutes, six at most.

Garcia puts his WBC belt on the line tonight for the first time, after beating Mario Barrios for it earlier this year. Benn returns to the welterweight scene for the first time since 2022, and much of the pre-fight talk has surrounded his weight cut and how it will affect him when the first bell rings.

The Brit fought twice at the middleweight limit of 160lbs against Chris Eubank Jr last year, and has even admitted that this drop back down will be his only appearance at welterweight before settling somewhere higher, planning to win the belt and then vacate it.

Arum does not believe it will play out that way, fully backing Garcia to retain his belt.

Giving his prediction to the BBC, the Top Rank promoter cited Benn’s cut back down to 147lbs at the age of 29 as the key factor in Garcia scoring the 21st knockout of his professional career.

“Benn is going to get knocked out in one or two rounds. You can’t take off all this weight at this age – he doesn’t even look recognisable.”

Since tipping the scales at 146lbs, Benn has posted a video claiming that his immediate rehydration has taken him all the way up to 178.4lbs.

Arum, along with many others in the sport, remains unconvinced that simply making the weight gives the Brit a fighting chance, believing that the effects of weeks of arduous cutting down will show in the ring, perhaps in the form of reduced resistance – a dangerous prospect against a puncher like Garcia.

‘The Destroyer’ is embracing the underdog status, and continues to display the confidence that he will produce a significant stoppage victory on away soil.