Chris Eubank Jr aimed a dig at Conor Benn after Benn was stopped within two rounds by Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas. The WBC title clash ended early when Garcia floored Benn in the second round and forced referee Tom Taylor to step in.
Benn was fighting at welterweight for the first time in four years. He had described the weight cut as agony and admitted it often reduced him to tears. Eubank Jr, who lost to Benn last year after struggling to make weight himself, showed little sympathy.
Eubank Jr's social media jab
Following Garcia's victory celebration, Eubank Jr posted on social media: "Welcome to the 'fighting after cutting too much weight' club... Enjoy."
Before their second clash, Eubank Jr had his own torment trying to reach the 160lb limit. He fell short by 0.05lb and was forced to hand over £375,000 to Benn in compensation.
Benn's weight-cut ordeal
Before facing Garcia, Benn described his suffering to return to welterweight. He told talkSPORT: "I've been dragged down to the pits of hell, had a fight with Satan, and come back to life. When I mean hard, I mean hard. That's why I'm going straight to 160[lbs] after this."
He added: "This is the fight. This is the real fight. I have been dying for 15 weeks... I'm on almost a 1000 calorie deficit a day. When I talk about the emotional breakdowns I've had in camp. I've been sobbing, crying, can't even get up the stairs. To that degree. To now get here and feel unbelievable. But I had to do those hard yards; I'd rather it be hard then, and easy now."
Garcia's victory and Benn's response
Garcia vowed to finish the fight inside five rounds ahead of the contest. He needed just two to successfully defend his title.
After his win, 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."
He continued: "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."
Following the defeat, Benn posted on social media: "Not my night, no excuses. Ryan Garcia, you're a great champion."
