Conor Benn reiterated today that he is interested in fighting Ryan Garcia next at 147. It comes after Ryan said on social media that he is open to fighting Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) next in the UK.
Benn Zeroes in on Ryan
Matchroom-promoted Benn looks to capitalize on his win over Chris Eubank Jr. last Saturday night in London by using the win for another big payday. Conor made $10.5 million for the rematch with Eubank Jr. despite no world titles on the line.
Why Garcia makes the most sense
Benn isn’t going to make that kind of money moving down to 147 to challenge Mario Barrios next for his WBC welterweight title. He needs a popular fighter like Ryan Garcia to get his third consecutive $10 million+ payday.
Barrios is the guy Benn said he wants to fight to win a world title to be “the box” of a belt holder. However, draining down from the 170+ lbs he rehydrated to for his last two fights at middleweight against Eubank Jr., it will be hellish for him to return to the 147-lb division to fight Barrios.
The 147 Weight Nightmare
It is doubtful that Benn can even make weight at 147 after three years away from the welterweight division. He hasn’t fought in the weight class since 2022, and he’s faced the worst of the worst. If he drains at 29 to fight Barrios, he could be just as weakened as Eubank Jr. last weekend He would end up potentially losing to him, and that would put a damper on his ability to continue making millions hyped non-title fights.
“I don’t play games or waffle like you yanks do. When I say let’s go, I mean let’s gooooo. I v you next. I’ll sign right now, and rest assured, I’ll clean you up,” Conor Benn opines Xreplied Ryan Garcia.
This is not good timing for Benn to call out Ryan as he awaits the outcome of the Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr. fight this Saturday. If Haney wins, Ryan will likely face him next. If he loses, he will surely go in the direction of facing Mario Barrios for his WBC title.
“Muscle outweighs fat, and he’s big. He looks like a middleweight. So, he probably won’t make 147,” commentator Duke McKenzie said. talkSport Boxing on Conor Benn’s return to welterweight.
No path to a belt
Benn has been out of the 147-lb division too long for him to return at this point. The problem is that he doesn’t have the talent to be a big player at 154, and he can’t compete against the good fighters at 160. Fighting the champions at middleweight using a 10-lb rehydration clause isn’t going to work because that’s their weight class. They would be fine with a rehydration clause, and a nightmare for Benn. Just imagine him fighting Janibek Alimkhnuly or Carlos Adames. It won’t be a pretty picture.
“Maybe at 154, but all the champions are just as good at 147. So, I think he’s stuck a little bit. We all want to be world champions. We all want to check that box. But saying it’s one thing, doing it’s another. And I still feel like there’s levels in this game,” McKenzie said.
Nepo Baby Blueprint
Benn’s situation is bleak when it comes to winning world titles at 147, 154 or 160. He’s better off continuing to pick beatable opposition carefully, as he has done throughout his nine-year pro career and capitalizing on his family name. It worked all along to make Benn a millionaire, just like it worked for Eubank Jr. They are nepo babies.
“I don’t think he’s ready for a world title fight,” Duke said of Conor Benn. “He’s not going to make welterweight and be strong, and he’s certainly not a middleweight. Everybody knows, and the world knows, that he beat an absolutely shell-shocked fighter in Chris Eubank Jr.
Benn is 29 years old and a millionaire, who has never beaten any significant opposition. He’s not going to suddenly live in the gym and train with the hungry fighters to improve enough to win a world title at 147 or 154.
By that age, you either did something with your career or you didn’t. It’s too late for Benn. Again, he’s been out of the 147-lb division too long, and that’s going to leave him with a weakened skeleton if he even tries to return, which it doesn’t look like he will. If Benn can lure Ryan Garcia down to 154 or a catchweight of 157, that fight could happen.
“That win flatters him because he had nothing to beat. Now, to drop back down to 147, he finds himself in the same position that Eubank was in. He was weight drained. He’s not going to be strong at the weight,” McKenzie said of Benn.
