Dana White made it official: Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are gonna throw down in Vegas on September 12th at T-Mobile Arena. But here’s the wild part: before White even dropped the news, these guys were already talking trash on Rick Reeno’s Mr. Verzace Podcast. You gotta wonder if Reeno knew something was brewing, because he got both sides of this rivalry on camera before it was even a thing. That’s some serious foresight, man.
The Trash Talk That Set The Stage
So, Benn, who’s 29, was on the podcast first, breaking down Garcia’s upcoming fight with Mario Barrios. And when Reeno asked for his take on Garcia, Benn didn’t hold back. He called Garcia “great for boxing,” yeah, but then immediately threw in that he thinks Garcia is “a liability.” Ouch! He didn’t stop there, either, saying Garcia’s a “loose cannon,” “unpredictable,” and “unprofessional.” But hey, he admitted Garcia’s “sheer entertainment.” Sounds like a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one, right?
Garcia, 27, got his turn later when Reeno asked about Benn calling him out. And you know Garcia wasn’t gonna shy away. He fired back, explaining that Benn “fits perfect for my set of skills” and “falls right into my pocket.” Boom! Garcia acknowledged that Benn’s “a bigger dude,” but he straight up said he didn’t see Benn’s boxing skills as “up to par” with his own. This isn’t just a regular fight, folks. This is for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title, his first defense since he snatched that belt from Barrios back in February. For Benn, this is his first shot at a world title, and he’s chasing the same green WBC belt his old man, Nigel Benn, once held in another division. Talk about stakes!
The Power of Reeno’s Reach
This fight hitting T-Mobile Arena with all that pre-fight drama is a huge win for Rick Reeno and The Ring. Reeno’s been crushing it since joining The Ring as COO in late 2024 and becoming CEO in July 2025. The dude is everywhere, from boxing events to press conferences. Remember back in June 2025? Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford kicked off their superfight press tour in Riyadh, and who walked onstage carrying an “exclusive mega-belt” for the winner, valued at a wild £140,000 (roughly $188,000)? Yep, Reeno. Eight months later, he was at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hyping Tyson Fury’s comeback. This guy gets it done.
His Mr. Verzace Podcast is blowing up, too, with names like Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, Eddie Hearn, and Rolly Romero all sitting down with him. The Ring’s YouTube channel, thanks in part to this surge, went from around 7,000 subscribers in January 2025 to a massive 1.24 million by late June 2026, racking up over 336 million views. Reeno’s been in this game a long time, founding BoxingScene back in 2003 and building it into a major digital hub before CBS Sports Digital acquired it in 2018. He stuck around as managing editor until 2024. Now with Turki Alalshikh buying The Ring, this 104-year-old publication is back in print and adding live events. Reeno’s definitely a driving force behind all this growth.
So mark your calendars! Garcia vs. Benn goes down September 12th. Paramount+ has got the global broadcast, and DAZN is covering it in the UK and Ireland. With all that talk before the fight was even official, this is gonna be one to watch. Will Garcia prove Benn’s skills aren’t “up to par,” or will Benn’s “liability” assessment come true? Can’t wait!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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