Eggs, insults & a champion with a fake beard - Garcia and Benn face off

ByKal Sajad

BBC Sport boxing writer astatine T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

A performative Ryan Garcia shouted, repeatedly swore and adjacent ate a boiled ovum - portion Briton Conor Benn kept his chill - during a peculiar quality league successful Las Vegas.

American Garcia defends his WBC welterweight loop against 29-year-old Benn astatine the T-Mobile Arena connected Saturday.

A combat week which had been comparatively quiescent yet came to beingness connected Thursday - acknowledgment mostly to the unpredictable champion.

While Garcia, 28, bounced betwixt insults, threats and jokes, Benn remained comparatively composed.

Benn spoke alternatively astir giving supporters "value for money" and refused to beryllium drawn into galore of his rival's taunts.

"All the talking, tweeting, typing and streaming is done - I'm acceptable to fight," Benn said, portion inexplicably wearing a bullet-proof benignant vest.

Garcia is 1 of boxing's biggest societal media stars, with much than 13 cardinal Instagram followers.

He precocious appeared connected WWE's Monday Night Raw and it did not instrumentality agelong for the quality league to instrumentality connected a likewise theatrical feel.

Minutes aft taking his seat, Garcia reached into a bag, pulled retired the egg, calmly peeled it and ate it whole.

"He has a batch of familiarity with eggs truthful I thought I'd devour some," Garcia said, arsenic his opponent's begetter - Nigel Benn - shook his head.

It was a notation to Benn's two affirmative tests for clomifene successful 2022 and the WBC's consequent ruling that elevated depletion of eggs could supply a tenable explanation.

Adding to the bizarre atmosphere, Garcia said his ovum was a spot adust and would payment from immoderate honey.

Garcia has besides served a doping suspension aft investigating affirmative for ostarine pursuing his 2024 combat with Devin Haney. Both fighters person denied knowingly taking banned substances.

Before the face-off, information confiscated an ovum Garcia had tucked into his pocket, perchance preventing a repetition of past year's incidental erstwhile Chris Eubank Jr slapped Benn crossed the look with one.

Benn and Garcia had to beryllium separated astatine their motorboat lawsuit successful New York successful July, but determination was nary repetition this time. As Garcia continued talking, Benn enactment a digit to his lips, smiled and yet turned distant and near the stage.

Thursday's quality league was held wrong Saturday's combat venue, with 1 conception of T-Mobile Arena curtained disconnected for the crowd.

Fans had begun queuing much than an hr earlier the doors opened. It was not a Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez-sized assemblage - and acold from thing similar the travelling enactment Ricky Hatton erstwhile brought to Las Vegas - but determination was inactive a steadfast turnout.

Small pockets of travelling British supporters made themselves heard, portion Garcia received a overmuch louder but mixed reception.

Garcia said Benn had "lit a fire" by questioning his Mexican heritage. Benn - who spent 12 years of his puerility surviving successful Majorca - responded by speaking fluently successful Spanish.

There was different dose of theatre erstwhile WBA 'Super' welterweight satellite champion Teofimo Lopez, disguised with a fake beard, stood among the assemblage to inquire a question earlier revealing himself to large cheers.

Garcia besides took purpose astatine Benn's manager Keith Connolly's hairline earlier turning his attraction to the challenger's weight.

Benn has not made the 10st 7lb welterweight bounds for much than 4 years, having fought Chris Eubank Jr doubly astatine middleweight.

Garcia suggested Benn could rehydrate to immoderate value helium wanted aft Friday's weigh-in but questioned whether his encephalon would retrieve sufficiently from the cut.

"[Garcia should] interest astir himself," Benn replied. "He seems to person capable problems arsenic it is.

"I don't look astatine him, I conscionable interest astir myself and don't chopped corners. We'll spot who makes value tomorrow."

Garcia did yet admit overmuch of the showmanship was conscionable that.

"All this is noise, I've done my occupation and I'm the amended fighter," helium said. "This is amusive but we cognize what to do."

But it did not instrumentality him agelong to gaffe backmost into entertainer mode. Even aft Benn had left, Garcia remained connected signifier - flexing, shouting and playing to the crowd.