Ryan Garcia stopped Conor Benn inside two rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to defend his WBC welterweight title, immediately setting his sights on a championship unification bout with WBA champion Teofimo Lopez next.
Ryan Garcia Defends WBC Title Against Conor Benn in Las Vegas
Ryan Garcia delivered a dominant performance at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, dismissing Conor Benn inside two rounds. Despite the swift finish, Garcia offered words of encouragement for his opponent’s future in the sport, suggesting that Benn just needs to gain a little bit more experience after attempting to press the action early.
“He just needs to gain a little bit more experience. I don’t think he has enough experience at this point. I don’t think he was as experienced as me but I think he will be back. He went in, tried to fight me,”
Ryan Garcia
Ryan Garcia targets world championship unification with Teofimo Lopez
Garcia added that Benn needed to show more patience inside the ring, stating you can’t jump in like that while noting that he has developed a new level of respect for his opponent following the bout, hoping he can come back and do great things in the sport.
Teofimo Lopez Targets the Division on the Road to Undisputed
While Garcia celebrated his victory in the ring, newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez was in attendance at the arena. Lopez, who has past wins over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor on his stellar resume, was soundly beaten by Shakur Stevenson earlier this year before bouncing back to beat Rolando Romero, who himself beat Garcia last year.
Teofimo Lopez Sets Sights on Garcia-Benn Winner Before Devin
During his fight against Romero, the 29-year-old faced a significant challenge when he suffered a jagged cut near his eye, forcing him to decisively win rounds to sway the judges’ decisions. Matchroom head Eddie Hearn has begun mapping out a course of action for Lopez, identifying the winner of the Garcia-Benn battle as a potential tentpole event and a PPV bonanza. Lopez made clear that his sights are firmly set on claiming further divisional supremacy.
“This is the road to undisputed. I’m here to claim the next world title. Whoever the next champion is, that’s what it’s all about. It feels like I’ve got some work to do; that’s for sure. But it feels good at the same time. I have to remind myself of everything that I’ve accomplished thus far at 29. But you guys have to realize that I’m here to make the best fights happen, truthfully. We don’t duck. We don’t dodge any fights.”
Teofimo Lopez
Unification Plans and Future Divisional Landscapes
Immediately following his defense, Garcia made his intentions public by declaring his desire to unify against Teofimo. Calling Lopez an entertaining dude, Garcia pointed toward what he expects to be a hell of a build-up.
“I want to unify against Teofimo. I think that’s the move. It’s a huge fight and Teo’s an entertaining dude and it’s going to be a hell of a build-up and he’s a good fighter too so let’s run it.”
Ryan Garcia
While Benn has proclaimed that the September 12 fight will be his final one at welterweight, the lure of money and prestige could be a motivating factor in staying in the division. Beyond a potential clash with the Garcia-Benn winner, Lopez also mentioned a prospective matchup against WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney if he successfully navigates his upcoming bouts. Meanwhile, Garcia insists he has plenty left in reserve, stating that he was just getting started in there against Benn and that there is a lot of things that I’ve been working on with a lot of weapons in my arsenal that I didn’t bring out yet.
