Garcia backs up talk, TKO's Benn in second round to retain WBC title — SkimNews
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- Ryan Garcia (26-0, 21 KOs) recorded his fastest knockout in six years, finishing Conor Benn via TKO at 1:25 of round two at T-Mobile Arena — Benn was left virtually defenseless along the ropes before referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight
- Garcia defended the WBC welterweight title he captured against Mario Barrios in February, then called out WBA champion Teofimo Lopez (who sat ringside) and WBO champion Devin Haney for unification bouts
- Saturday's card marked Benn's first fight under Dana White's Zuffa Boxing, funded by Turki Alalshikh (chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority); White reported a sellout gate of about $8 million and said Garcia 'has one more fight with Oscar [De La Hoya's Golden Boy]'
- Benn (25-2, 14 KOs) suffered the first knockout loss of his career; his only other defeat was a decision to Chris Eubank Jr. in the first leg of their rivalry last year
- Garcia is 2-1 since moving up to welterweight; his April 2024 victory over Haney was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine, which he denied knowingly taking
Why it matters: Garcia's emphatic finish sets up the welterweight unification bouts he publicly demanded, while the Zuffa Boxing–Turki Alalshikh promotion produced an $8 million sellout gate in Benn's debut under Dana White's new boxing banner. With Garcia reporting one fight left on his Golden Boy contract per White, his next promotional affiliation is the open commercial question.
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