Garcia and Benn trade barbs ahead of Las Vegas title fight

Ryan Garcia will defend his WBC welterweight title against Britain's Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, but the build-up has been dominated as much by theatre as by boxing. At a chaotic news conference on Thursday, held inside the fight venue, Garcia ate a boiled egg, traded insults and played to the crowd, while Benn, 29, remained largely composed in an unusual bulletproof-style vest. The egg was a pointed reference to Benn's two positive tests for clomifene in 2022, after which the WBC ruled that elevated egg consumption could offer a reasonable explanation. Garcia, 28, said his opponent had familiarity with eggs, prompting a head-shake from Benn's father and manager figure Nigel Benn. Security earlier confiscated an egg Garcia had tucked into his pocket, avoiding a repeat of last year's incident when Chris Eubank Jr slapped Benn with one. Adding to the spectacle, WBA super welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez, disguised in a wig and fake beard, asked a question from the crowd before revealing himself to loud cheers. Both fighters carry doping history they deny was intentional.