Earlier in the evening, a moment’s silence was held before Monday’s first anniversary of the death of Ricky Hatton, the Manchester fighter who famously brought tens of thousands of British fans to Las Vegas during his career.
Benn’s travelling support was far more modest, with only pockets of British fans visible among the 18,855 crowd at T-Mobile Arena.
Benn, dressed in black with a Union Jack carried behind him, was greeted by a wall of boos as he made his way towards the ring alongside his father Nigel, who enjoyed one of his most famous victories in Las Vegas when he stopped Iran Barkley inside a round in 1990.
Garcia, who is of Mexican heritage, took considerably longer over his entrance, walking out to mariachi music on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
The opening round played out much as many had predicted, with Benn aggressively coming forward and Garcia looking to pick him off on the counter.
Garcia landed two sharp left hooks and, although Benn initially appeared to take the shots well, the champion soon began finding gaps as the Briton charged into range.
A left hook, right hand and uppercut landed in quick succession as Garcia’s superior timing and accuracy became increasingly apparent.
Retired three-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford was among those watching from ringside, alongside actor Cuba Gooding Jr and WWE chief Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
The warning signs became even clearer in the second when a left uppercut staggered Benn. Garcia’s left hook had been widely considered his most dangerous weapon before the fight, but it was a right hand which eventually sent Benn to the canvas.
Benn beat the count but was a sitting target as Garcia went back on the attack, forcing the referee to step in as the challenger was pinned against the ropes.
Much of the build-up had centred on whether Benn’s return to 10st 7lb (67kg) would leave him drained, but with no rehydration clause he had looked considerably bigger by fight night.
In the end, it made little difference. There were some suggestions ringside that the stoppage came early, with Benn still moving and trying to evade shots, but the referee was justified in preventing further punishment.
The fighters embraced afterwards, but while attention quickly switched to Garcia – who exchanged words with WBO champion Teofimo Lopez at ringside – Benn left the arena looking dejected.
