Ryan Garcia has suggested that his next fight might occur on September 12 in Las Vegas, the same day that Canelo Alvarez is set to face Christian Mbilli in Saudi Arabia. Garcia alluded that the opponent will be England’s Conor Benn.

The declaration was made during a live stream with rapper 6ix9ine and, if true, might mean that Turki Alalshikh – who works with both Alvarez and Garcia – is plotting another international extravaganza; given the time difference between Riyadh and Las Vegas, the opening bells could be timed to complement each event.

Garcia, 25-2 (20 KOs), won the WBC welterweight title in February when he outpointed Mario Barrios over 12 rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Sitting in first place in the WBC 147lbs rankings is Benn, even though he hasn’t competed in the weight class since 2022.

"My next fight is September 12," said Garcia. "I can't announce it yet, but there are some people from the UK that need an ass-whooping.

"The guy I might fight next is from the UK.

"It's gonna be in Vegas [at] T-Mobile [Arena]... You hear that, Conor Bum? My guy [6ix9ine] is gonna walk me out.

"Go get a goofy from England to walk you out."

Last week, however, Benn’s manager Keith Connelly was less committal about the arrangements but did confirm that the oft-reported negotiations between the two camps were ongoing.

 “We’re in the middle of negotiating [Garcia-Benn], along with some other big fights,” he told Boxing News.

"I could see it happening, I could see it falling apart, but we’re targeting that fight right now.

"I think that’s a great fight for both guys. It’ll be a massive fight if it’s over here [in the UK] and it’ll be a massive fight if it’s in [Las] Vegas.

"It’s a sellout wherever it goes. I think we’ll know in the next couple of weeks where we’re headed, but that’s definitely the fight that we want."

Benn, who recently signed an extension with Zuffa Boxing, last fought in April when he outpointed Regis Prograis over 10 rounds. For that bout, which was his first since the two-fight foray up at middleweight that saw him go 1-1 with Chris Eubank Jnr, he weighed just under 150lbs.