Conor Benn says he expects to stop Ryan Garcia when they meet for a WBC welterweight title shot, and he is already talking like a fighter who has accepted the pain of getting there. Benn said the return to 147 is hard and brutal, but that he is getting it done because he signed up for a world title fight and a mega fight in Vegas.
The timing matters because Benn is not only chasing a title shot; he is forcing his body back down to 147 after fighting Chris Eubank Jr up the scales. In this interview with Mike Coppinger on behalf of Ring Magazine, Benn said he has given 110% in camp, put his body through hell and left no stone unturned while preparing for Ryan Garcia in one of the biggest fights on his calendar.
Benn’s confidence is built on power and on the belief that Garcia will not be able to survive the full route. He said both men are big punchers and that anyone caught clean can go to sleep. He also said he does not believe the fight goes the distance, adding that he expects to get hold of Garcia and make the bout his for the taking.
The catch is that the cut itself remains the most punishing part of the assignment. Benn made clear that making 147 depends on him at the weigh-in, which is why he says he does his weight properly and makes sure every part of camp is done the right way. That is the friction in this fight: the same discipline Benn says will carry him through the weigh-in is also the thing he says has put his body through hell.
Benn said this is his 10th year in the game, and he speaks like a man who thinks the window is open right now. If he makes 147, the rest of the night becomes simpler: he gets into the ring with Garcia believing the stoppage is there for him. If he does not, the biggest question around Ryan Garcia Vs Conor Benn is not who throws harder, but whether Benn can first beat the scale that has already made the build-up so punishing.
