Conor Benn has been medically suspended after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Ryan Garcia in their WBC welterweight title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The 29-year-old British boxer was taken to hospital following the defeat at the T-Mobile Arena.
Fight halted in second round
Benn was floored by a thunderous right hand early in the second round but managed to get back to his feet. Garcia then unleashed a flurry of punches that trapped Benn on the ropes until the referee stepped in and halted the contest within six minutes.
Following his hospitalisation, Benn now faces a spell on the sidelines. The British Board of Boxing Control (BBBofC) automatically imposes a minimum suspension of 28 days for any boxer who suffers a TKO defeat, with the possibility of this being extended to 45 days. The suspension covers both sparring and competitive bouts.
Garcia's hand speed proved decisive
Benn was facing a significant step up in class against an opponent renowned for his hand speed, which was evident from the opening exchanges as Garcia landed a left hook. The English fighter was caught by another left in the first round, though he responded with a body shot of his own.
Despite his efforts, he was unable to cope with Garcia in the second round, suffering just his second defeat in 27 contests.
Benn and Garcia react
Benn later took to social media to say: "Not my night, no excuses. Ryan Garcia, you're a great champion."
Following his successful title defence, Garcia declared: "I've always had a right hand but it's always been injured. I was so prepared and so focused, and what a performance. I knew he was going to put me under pressure in the first round so I let him have his way a little bit. Then in the next round I stood my ground a little bit. He was coming in reckless and you can't do that with me; he would have been better running around for the first three rounds. I've got thunder in both hands and they're ready to go. I'm here, I'm the champion and I'm not going to f*** around."
