LAS VEGAS — Ryan Garcia successfully defended his WBC welterweight title on Saturday, stopping Conor Benn in a decisive victory at the T-Mobile Arena. The contest ended in the second round after Garcia sent Benn to the canvas with a powerful right hand. Although Benn returned to his feet, a subsequent flurry of punches from Garcia against the ropes prompted the referee to intervene and halt the bout, marking the second defeat of Benn's professional career.
Former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who provided analysis for the DAZN broadcast, noted that the disparity in experience levels was apparent throughout the short fight. “You cannot jump up through the levels, you’ve got to go through the bit by bit,” Bellew said. “He’s just jumped too many levels too quickly in my opinion tonight. He took a couple of clean left hooks and kept going forward, but when you get hit on the button like that, I mean it was a heavy right hand.”
Regarding Benn’s future path, Bellew cautioned against moving up in weight classes, suggesting that the fighter should focus on the 147lb or 154lb divisions rather than competing against larger opponents. “If I’m Conor Benn I’m heading towards the Eubank Jr trilogy. If I’m being honest that’s the one that makes the most sense,” Bellew stated. Meanwhile, Garcia is now being linked to a potential unification bout against WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez.