Ryan Garcia steamrolls Conor Benn by second-round TKO in first title defense

Economy World


LAS VEGAS — Ryan Garcia ruthlessly dispatched Conor Benn in the second round of their WBC welterweight title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The American sent the British challenger to the canvas with a beautiful right hand that set up the victory 45 seconds into Round 2. Benn, 29, and in his first world title fight, managed to beat the count, but he was on unsteady legs and could not stop what was coming from his opponent.

Garcia, 28, did not let up and pounced in to lash Benn with left hooks and big right hands that had the challenger reeling.

The defending champion then pinned Benn on the ropes and, after an onslaught of shots, referee Thomas Taylor stepped in to save Benn from more damage.

It was a brilliant display of vicious boxing from Garcia, whose star power will continue to grow after Saturday’s statement performance.

In the ring after the fight, Garcia called out WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez for a unification bout.

Lopez was among an array of star names ringside for the Mexican Independence Day weekend event. The 29-year-old former Olympian caused a scuffle at ringside when he tried to get to Garcia after the WBC champion asked him to step through the ropes. The scrum threatened to get ugly but, in boxing fashion, the scene will only add to the anticipation for a potential future meeting.

Garcia also called out WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney for a rematch of their 2024 bout, which was changed to a no-contest after Garcia initially won because Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.

But for any of those future events to become reality, Garcia needed to get the job done against Benn on Saturday night. He did it in style.

The crowd at T-Mobile Arena booed Benn numerous times when he appeared on the arena’s giant screen during undercard bouts, and they booed him again when he made his ringwalk to “Dangerous” by Conroy Smith.

Garcia’s reception couldn’t have been more different. The arena lights turned green and red as the American, whose grandparents hail from Mexico, walked out to an electric atmosphere as the arena speakers belted out the ranchera classic “El Rey” by Vicente Fernández.

The pre-fight buildup was dominated by Benn’s battle to make the 147-pound welterweight limit, but the British boxer comfortably weighed in a pound under the mark on Friday. He thought he would be the much bigger man after rehydrating, but he could not ruffle Garcia or disrupt the champion’s counterpunching rhythm.

Benn, looking to finally follow in his father Nigel Benn’s footsteps and become a world champion, was the aggressor early on. Yet even in the opening round, Garcia landed easily with his left hook.

Garcia caught Benn with a lovely left hook early in the second round that caused the on-rushing Benn to stumble backward.

As Garcia continued throwing his wide but sudden left hook, Benn struggled to evade the shot. It seemed likely that punch, which has been devastating throughout Garcia’s career, would be the one to end the fight, but his other hand ended up delivering the deciding blow.

After Benn pulled back from Garcia’s hook and looked to launch a counterattack, Garcia caught him flush with an overhand right. The end soon followed, as Benn suffered his second defeat in 27 fights, and Garcia extended his record to 26-2 and gave credence to his claim of becoming “the new face of boxing.”

Benn, who went to the hospital to be examined after the bout, will need to rebuild. Before Saturday, he said he planned to move up in weight after the bout, but the road back could be long after losing his first chance at a title in such devastating fashion.

WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia leaves the ring after scoring a devastating win over Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. (Steve Marcus / Getty Images)

Garcia’s path to becoming ‘the face of boxing’

This was set up as a showdown between Garcia’s talent and Benn’s tenacity. Skill versus strength. Glamour versus grit. In the end, it was Garcia who displayed all of the above, with Benn brave but ultimately not given the time to display much else as he was overwhelmed by a Garcia whirlwind.

The WBC welterweight champion entered the fight as a heavy favorite, carrying not only the pressure that brings but also the weight of headlining on Mexican Independence Day weekend — a date dominated for the past 15 years by crossover stars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

With Canelo’s time in the sport nearing an end, showcase dates linked to Mexican Independence and Cinco de Mayo are up for grabs. Garcia is keen to be the fighter who fills them. His explosive stoppage of Benn will do nothing to harm that ambition — nor will his heated exchange with Lopez, the WBA “Super” welterweight champion whom Garcia called to ringside during his postfight interview.

Lopez is currently involved in a dispute with Britain’s Jack Catterall (the WBA “regular” champion) over the latter’s status as the official mandatory challenger for Lopez’s belt, making it unclear whom Lopez is likely to fight next. A unification bout with Garcia is the kind of fight that could fill that gap next May, with another superfight looming between the winner and Haney (who was also ringside Saturday night).

Although questions will remain over Benn’s level as an opponent, Garcia’s performance showed promise of a newfound consistency for a fighter who has blown hot and cold. If he can stay as hot as he was Saturday night, it will take him a long way toward fulfilling his aim of becoming boxing’s top box-office star. — Sarah Shephard