A big night of boxing in Las Vegas saw Ryan Garcia and Jai Opetaia emerge with impressive knockout victories to cap off Saturday's Zuffa Boxing event. Garcia took less than two rounds to knock out Conor Benn in the night's main event. With the win, Garcia picked up the first defense of the WBC welterweight championship he won by defeating Mario Barrios in February.
Benn suffered the second loss of his professional career, previously dropping the first fight of his intense rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. Unlike the loss to Eubank, which established Benn as a legitimate talent with huge heart, the loss to Garcia came in such quick, crushing fashion that it leaves serious questions about where Benn will go from here. Meanwhile, Opetaia retained his Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championships by defeating WBC champion Noel Mikaelian, whose belt was not on the line.
Opetaia remains undefeated while retaining his status as the consensus best cruiserweight in boxing. every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year! Let's take a look at what is likely to come next for all three of these big-name fighters.
Garcia made it very clear what he wants next, calling out WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez. Despite Garcia calling Lopez to the ring, security stopped an animated Lopez from actually getting there. A fight between Garcia and Lopez makes plenty of sense.
Both hold versions of the welterweight title and both are big names who have been willing to step in with dangerous opponents. Garcia has fought Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Devin Haney, while Lopez has fought Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson. Lopez and Garcia are also fighters who love to talk trash to sell a fight, and Lopez will certainly point to his win over Rolando "Rolly" Romero to win the WBA title as proof of his superiority given Garcia lost a 2025 fight to Romero in which he fought terribly.
After knocking out Benn, Garcia also called for a rematch with Haney. Garcia beat Haney in 2024, but the win was overturned after it was revealed that Garcia had failed multiple drug tests around the fight. "Where you at Teofimo?!"Ryan Garcia calls Teofimo Lopez to the ring 🍿📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/xUkxUB0ADz Like Garcia, Opetaia was direct in calling out the man he wanted to face next.
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