King Ry Derails The Destroyer’s World Title Hopes

By Finley Easton

Ryan Garcia retained his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn with a ruthless second-round stoppage in Las Vegas.

From the opening bell, Garcia used his quick footwork and snappy left hand to outmanoeuvre and repeatedly tag an aggressive Conor Benn, who attempted to back Garcia against the ropes using his front-foot pressure. Despite Benn’s lunging head movement, the American was too fast and accurate, consistently walking Benn onto a mixture of left hooks, jabs and right hands as he advanced forward. As the second round began, Benn’s face displayed the effects of Garcia’s work, with some minor swelling and a look of frustration as he charged forward. Garcia capitalised on this aggression by landing a flush right hook that dropped Benn, leaving him visibly
hurt. Despite being hit by a shot that would knock most people out, Conor Benn showcased his warrior spirit by beating the 10-count and continuing the contest. However, Garcia smelt blood and piled on the pressure, backing Benn up against the ropes and releasing a vicious volley of punches to head. Despite Benn attempting to clinch and use his head movement to endure the onslaught of punches, he could not
get off the ropes and escape Garcia’s unrelenting pressure, with the referee stepping in and ending the contest.

Throughout the two rounds of boxing, there was a clear gulf in class between the two fighters. Most people did not give Conor Benn a chance heading into this fight, highlighting the fact that Benn has never fought anyone in the same calibre as Ryan Garcia during his career. The contest’s weight class was also a talking point during the lead up, with Benn last fighting at welterweight over four years ago.

What is next for Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn?

Ryan Garcia shows no signs of slowing down following his destructive win over Benn, immediately setting his eyes on WBA champion Teofimo Lopez, who was in attendance for the fight. “I want to unify against Teofimo. I think that’s the move,” Garcia said in the
post-fight press conference. This will be a tough test for the American, with Lopez coming off a majority decision win against heavy-punching Rolando Romero, who previously caused a shock upset by defeating Ryan Garcia in Times Square back in 2025. Despite Garcia’s callout of Teofimo, the WBC welterweight champion has a plethora of mega-fights to choose from, including potential blockbuster rematches against WBO champion Devin Haney and old foe Gervonta Davis.

On the contrary, Conor Benn’s future within the sport currently looks uncertain, stating on Instagram that “The truth is, I don’t have the answer”, regarding his next steps in boxing. Despite his TKO loss to Garcia, WBO middleweight champion Denzel Bentley would pounce at the opportunity to face Benn in a British showdown, stating that “If he wants to move up and fight for the belt, I would have to grant him that because it benefits both of us.” Benn also has the option of a blockbuster trilogy fight against Chris Eubank Jr, as the score currently sits at 1-1 between them, with Benn taking the victory last time. This fight would undoubtedly be a profitable venture for both fighters, thanks to the historic rivalry between their fathers, and the heated build up to the previous two fights.