BoxRec

‘I’m coming with the smoke’: Conor Benn believes he’ll stop Ryan Garcia to win WBC title

Conor Benn says he’s been diligently preparing his body to effectively make 147.



Conor Benn sits down with Mike Coppinger on behalf of Ring Magazine to discuss his upcoming WBC welterweight title shot against Ryan Garcia. Here, Benn talks a bit about making his way back down to 147 after fighting Chris Eubank Jr up the scales, and more! You can read some excerpts from Benn below with the full video interview segment in the link.

Benn on the weight cut for the Garcia fight
“It’s hard, it’s brutal, but we’re getting it done. I’m not going to be complaining and moaning. Like, I know what I signed up for…I’m getting paid handsomely, I’m fighting for the world title and headlining in a mega fight in Vegas. So what’s there to moan about?”

On his plans to apply pressure to Garcia
“I’m coming with the smoke, I’m coming with it for sure…Who knows where is mental state is. All I can speak of is my behalf and we’ve prepared diligently hard, I’ve given 110% this camp, I’ve put my body through hell…I think in life nothing worth having comes easy, right? So we always knew it was going to be hard to get back down to 147 but it’s what I want to do.”

On who he thinks is the bigger puncher between the two
“We’ve both big punchers. We catch anyone on the chin flush, they’re going to sleep.”

On how he expects the fight to go
“I don’t [believe it goes the distance]. I hand on heart believe I get hold of him. That’s what I believe in my heart. I believe that 10 years in the game this year, I believe this is mine for the taking.”

On how he thinks he’ll take Garcia’s punch at ‘47 compared to Eubank at ‘60
“It all depends on me and during the weigh-in, which is why I do my weight properly. I leave no stone unturned. I make sure that I do everything properly.”

I think Benn can stop him. However, Garcia outboxes him up to that point.

Benn wins by KO rd 7

BENN WILL SKIP 154, MOVE UP TO 160 OR 168 AFTER RYAN FIGHT

"Is this going to be your last fight at 147 no matter what?

Conor Benn: "Yeah."

"So your plan is you win the title and then vacate?"

Conor: "Win the title. , 'He's making excuses.' There's no excuses, it's just my last fight at 147 to dominate, get the belt and move on."

"And then go to what?"

Conor: "168. 160, 168, yeah. ... I won't be doing 154 no way."

[@RingMagazine]

The early rounds in this fight could be explosive.

Benn is copying the Garcia & Eubank Jr mind-tricks games.

Big fight in the UK taking place in the U.S.
Their styles have the elements to make it a very good fight.
If their gas tanks are full and they can both survive the storms, it has potential.
It's scheduled for 12, anything could happen.

Fight week!!

Ryan Garcia, having 'nice relaxing time', fails to show for face-off with Conor Benn

Ryan Garcia failed to show for an arranged ‘face-off’ with Conor Benn on Tuesday, four days before the pair are due to do battle for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas.

It’s the latest silly occurrence in a long line of them.

The first might have been the making of the fight itself. Benn, though No. 1 with the WBC at 147lbs, hasn’t competed in the weight class since April 2022.

Consequently, the last fortnight has seen speculation mount that the British challenger, who scored his finest win up at middleweight over Chris Eubank Jnr last November, is certain to be weight-drained by the time the pair weigh in on Friday.

That conjecture only increased when Benn posted footage of himself, post-training session, looking almost impossibly svelte last week.

Garcia, who almost came to blows with Benn when the pair went nose-to-nose at a launch event in July, has taken the suggestion that Benn is going to be a spent force due to that weight cut and run with it.

“Nice relaxing time as Conor wastes time showing up to a face-off,” Garcia said about his no-show.

“Back to the sauna you go, sausage getting cooked in every way.”

Benn, looking healthier than he had after a strenuous training session, kept his cool.

"Saturday can't come soon enough," he said.

"I apologise for Ryan [Garcia] doing what Ryan does and bottling it. We turn up, we're here, ready for the face-off.

"He needs to get his shit together because come Saturday, he's in for a real, real shock."

Garcia, 25-2 (20 KOs), won the belt in February when he outpointed Mario Barrios over 12 rounds. Two months later, while weighing 149.5lbs, the 25-1 (14 KOs) Benn outpointed Regis Prograis over 10 rounds in his first bout since two fights at middleweight against Eubank Jnr.

Based on the eye test, form, résumés and the looking at all the facts and statistics, then logic dictates that Ryan Garcia should beat a "clean" version of Conor Benn with ease.

Benn has arguably overachieved commercially, gaining huge media exposure, name recognition and major paydays without taking the traditional route towards proving himself as the best fighter in the world. He appears to have prioritised lucrative opportunities over building a meaningful sporting legacy. Conor has repeatedly skipped the usual steps required to establish himself as an elite fighter, so it's difficult to claim he's earned a shot at Garcia's title.

Benn also hasn't looked particularly impressive since his positive PED tests in 2022. His last knockout came almost four and a half years ago, which was also his last fight at 147lbs. That inevitably leaves lingering questions over the credibility of his earlier performances, particularly because he hasn't looked anywhere near as destructive since.

His recent opposition is also problematic. Chris Eubank Jr. was weight-drained, shot and never good enough to become a world champion, while Regis Prograis was well past his prime and fighting far above his natural 140lbs division when fighting Benn at 154lbs.

I don't think Benn is skilled enough or punches hard enough to become a genuine world champion. If Garcia really is Benn's final fight at 147lbs, as Benn has suggested, then losing this weekend would also raise serious questions about his chances of winning a world title at a higher weight.

Benn spending most of the last four years fighting above 147lbs could also work against him this weekend. Coming back down to 147lbs may leave him weight-drained, further reducing his chances against Garcia.

Garcia obviously has significant flaws of his own. He has also failed a drugs test, showed poor discipline by missing weight against Devin Haney, often appears more interested in social media than boxing, and looked poor against Rolando Romero and Mario Barrios. Whether he's mentally focused for Benn is therefore a legitimate question.

But Garcia at his best is simply on another level. He has better boxing fundamentals, very fast hands, good power and has demonstrated world-class ability. I struggle to identify any meaningful area in which Benn has a clear advantage.

If Garcia is focused and anywhere near his best, I don't expect this fight to be competitive. Everything points towards a dominant Garcia victory.

Another Gareth AI Davies masterpiece.

The BBC is reporting that if Benn successfully makes the official 147lbs limit and proceeds to enter the ring with a rehydration weight of 175lbs, based on what Conor himself has told the media, he will effectively establish one of the heaviest unofficial fight-night weights ever recorded for a welterweight bout.

Put it this way, Canelo rehydrated to 170lbs for his light middleweight bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Eolaithe wrote: ↑10 Sep 2026, 05:48 The BBC is reporting that if Benn successfully makes the official 147lbs limit and proceeds to enter the ring with a rehydration weight of 175lbs, based on what Conor himself has told the media, he will effectively establish one of the heaviest unofficial fight-night weights ever recorded for a welterweight bout.

Put it this way, Canelo rehydrated to 170lbs for his light middleweight bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

If he gains 28 pounds overnight he's gonna be slow and sluggish as all hell.

Garcia seeks momentum after career filled with setbacks

Conor Benn is nicknamed "The Destroyer."

But WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia is promising that he'll ravage his rival's career when they square off Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Paramount+ in the U.S. and DAZN Pay-Per-View in the UK and Ireland.

"I'm going to go in there and destroy this man," Garcia said on "Road to Garcia vs. Benn," a produced vignette chronicling his preparation for the fight. "This is going to be a really, really beautiful performance. He's just not good enough to beat me. It's the bitter truth for him, and the sweet truth for me."

Garcia seems to be more mature and focused than ever heading into the first defense of his 147-pound title following years of erratic behavior and performances in the ring, including losses against Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero and a positive test for a banned substance following his fight against Devin Haney.

Last time out, however, "King Ry" Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) knocked down and dominated Mario Barrios to win the crown he now carries, setting himself up for the scrap against Benn (25-1, 14 KOs).

"A lot of fire, turmoil – it built me into the champion I am," Garcia said. "My whole career has been filled with setbacks. They test every part of you. But then I always find my way back home. It was a lot of soul searching, and this is the next evolution of me.

"During the Barrios camp, I had a change in mentality. My back was against the wall, so it kind of forced me to narrow things down. And I didn't know if I was going to get an opportunity like that again. I had to rebuild my body. I chose discipline, and I chose to be a professional."

With a victory against Benn, Garcia can claim some serious momentum as he angles for a title unification fight after that against WBA champion Teofimo Lopez.

Garcia deems Lopez a more deserving rival than the "fancy trash can, borderline bum, and dead man walking" Benn, as he claimed last week.

"I think that Conor just sees me as talented, but he doesn't know all the levels I go to master the craft," Garcia said. "I don't think Conor understands how much I actually love the game of boxing. I don't think he understands how much I actually know about boxing. I just don't think he understands how good I am."

Benn is heading into the bout on the heels of splitting a grudge match against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025 as a middleweight and a 10-round unanimous decision win against Regis Prograis at a 150-pound catchweight bout last time out in April.
Benn's fight against Garcia will mark his first at the welterweight limit since April 2022.

"He's a big star. This is a chance to prove if he's at a super high level, but I don't think so," Garcia said. "This fight I'm going to be extraordinary."

Conor Benn aims to etch own legacy while living in father's shadow

Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia have done a commendable job building up their fight Saturday night.

The trash talk could overfill a garbage truck, but the war of words finally ends when they meet at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Paramount+ in the US and DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.

"I will make him quit. I've beaten a super middleweight in Chris Eubank. You think I'm worried about what a lightweight can do to me?" Benn said on "Road to Garcia vs. Benn," a produced vignette chronicling his preparation for the fight.

"I put nothing before winning this world title. Is it any easier? No, of course it ain't. It's painful. But you have to be selfish. I need to get that world title."

Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) has been gradually boiling down his body in preparation for the fight. In 2025, he split a pair of middleweight tilts and decisions against Chris Eubank Jr. Last time out in April, Benn beat Regis Prograis by decision at a 150-pound catchweight.

Against Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs), Benn will be fighting at the 147-pound limit for the first time since April 2022 as he attempts to capture a crown just like Nigel Benn, his Hall of Fame father.

"To me I will always be in my dad's shadow. What a great place to be. My dad's my hero. He's my legend. He's my idol. He's my everything," Benn said.

"No matter what I achieve, no matter what I go on to do in the sport, there will only be one Nigel Benn. If I'm half the man my dad is, I'll be a happy man. So, as far from ever leaving my dad's shadow, no, I never will.

"The name opens doors, and the name has helped me get to where I've gotten to, but you still have to put in the work. No one's in there fighting for you. So let me give 110 percent and just see where the ceiling is at — and clearly it's well."

Oddsmakers envision a modest ceiling for Benn, who's listed as a +250 underdog to beat Garcia.

But Benn is bullish that he'll blast Garcia and move on to bigger challenges in new weight divisions.

"Ten years of hard work, suffering, pressure — it's for this fight," Benn said. "It's for this moment. I'm going to knock this guy out. I'm going to render him unconscious."

A request has been submitted for Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn to still wear 8-ounce gloves if either fighter misses weight. Under Nevada rules, fights above 148 pounds require 10-ounce gloves.

The request was reportedly made by Team Garcia

Via (@SIChrisMannix)