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Does Zuffa alliance present Benn headache for Garcia title shot?
Ryan Garcia looks to have booked his first defence as WBC welterweight champion, confirming Conor Benn as his next foe.
The duo had circled each other back and forth long before the Californian even held a major strap between his two hands.
Talk of a title shot - and specifically the WBC strap - has long been on Benn's agenda, a prized target to echo his father Nigel.
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Yet the news that the Briton has doubled down on his deal with Zuffa Boxing raises several questions ahead of a likely title bid.
With Jai Opetaia stripped of his IBF belt after contesting for a crown with the new-look promotion, unknowns linger in the air.
Now, as Garcia and Benn wind their way towards a dance, there are pressing matters that await both men even before the ring.
Can Benn win the WBC title with Zuffa?
The most pressing matter appears to be whether Benn can hold one of the sport's major sanctioned straps in spite of Zuffa.
The IBF's call to strip Opetaia after he contested for the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight belt earlier this year was not a surprise.
The Dana White-led promotion has been up front about its plans to streamline the boxing landscape and supersede structures.
Yet the WBC has made Benn their mandatory challenger for Garcia, suggesting a willingness to let the Briton challenge here.
Perhaps, because there is no Zuffa strap on the line itself this time, any conflict of interest is so far avoided for all key parties.
Is Garcia making the right move?
Beyond the fact that Benn is effectively his prime challenger, there will be questions over whether a bout is smart for Garcia.
From a financial perspective, the money will undoubtedly be good. 'The Destroyer' has excellent stock in the bank right now.
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But when it comes to clout, there are arguably several bigger challenges that Garcia could have set himself instead of Benn.
The WBC would have been unlikely to stand in the way of a unification pursuit, especially against WBO champ Devin Haney.
It cuts the other way though. Benn will arrive as an outsider - but Garcia will face tough questions if he comes up short too.
Will bout fill Canelo void in Vegas?
Garcia's revelation on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the pair will meet in September tees up a collision course.
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The star will take on Benn in Las Vegas on the same night that, half the world away, Canelo Alvarez mounts his comeback.
Both bouts undoubtedly come with the backing of the sport's premier powerbrokers, but the schedule surely isn't coincidental.
With Alvarez up against Christian M'Billi in Riyadh, there will be a clamour to fill his Sin City-sized shape on the famed strip.
Having earned his stripes against Mario Barrios there in February, Garcia will be confident that he is the man to do such a job.
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