Ryan Garcia needed one right hand to end Conor Benn’s night. It came early in round two at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, and referee Thomas Taylor waved off the fight at 1:25 as Garcia unloaded along the ropes.
“They could have stopped it when he was on the ground,” Garcia said afterwards. “He was out of it. I looked at him in the eyes and he wasn’t even there.”
Garcia moved to 26-2 with his 21st career knockout. Benn dropped to 25-2.
Lopez called out at ringside
With the belt safe on his first defense, Garcia’s next fight was already in the arena. Teofimo Lopez was watching from a ringside seat, and Garcia summoned him toward the ropes.
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“Unified time. Where you at, Teo?” Garcia shouted across the ring.
When Lopez rose, Garcia went further.
“You want to get crazy, we going to get crazy. I’ll beat your ass right now.”
Security kept Lopez out of the ring as the two traded words. Garcia followed with the pitch he had been building toward.
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“I want to unify against Teofimo. I think that’s the move.”
Devin Haney was not spared either.
“Hopefully we get to beat Devin Haney’s ass again for undisputed.”
The right hand Garcia has been promising
Garcia has spent years talking about a right hand that injuries had kept quiet.
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“I’ve always had a right hand, but I always had injuries,” Garcia said. “These are the first two fights I’ve had no injuries to my right hand.”
He recounted the finish.
“Then I started hitting him. I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m already timing him.’ And then the second round I said, ‘I’m just going to stand my ground a little bit. I’m going to get my respect real quick.’ And then when I did, I ended up knocking him out.”
Benn, who entered the night 25-1, did not appear at the post-fight press conference.
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