Conor Benn offered no excuses after he was stopped in the second round by Ryan Garcia. Benn’s bid to claim the WBC welterweight crown from Garcia was ended inside six minutes in Las Vegas.
Stoppage in Las Vegas
Benn initially beat the count after being dropped to the canvas by a fierce right hand early in the round at T-Mobile Arena. But the American seized his opportunity, unleashing a flurry of punches which trapped Benn on the ropes until the referee stepped in.
Fighting down at 147lbs since 2022, Benn was facing a significant step up in class against an opponent renowned for his hand speed. That speed was in evidence in the opening moments as Garcia caught Benn with a left hook. The English boxer was caught by another left in the opening round, but responded with a body shot of his own. But he could do little to stop Garcia in the second as he fell to his second defeat in 27 fights.
Benn and Garcia react
Benn later took to social media to say: "Not my night, no excuses. Ryan Garcia, you’re a great champion." And after retaining his title, Garcia said: "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."
