Eddie Hearn has questioned the power and durability of one man as Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn is officially announced.
The pair will collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12, heading a co-promotion between Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy and Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
Their welterweight showdown had, of course, been rumoured for quite some time, with an announcement earlier this week finally confirming Garcia’s WBC title defence.
The 27-year-old claimed his belt by dethroning Mario Barrios with a unanimous decision victory in February, which followed his largely unexpected points defeat to Rolando Romero in May 2025.
But despite his previous setbacks, Garcia is now widely considered to be a world-level fighter while Benn, on the other hand, is yet to prove his top-class credentials.
In fact, the 29-year-old’s most significant victories have all arrived against fighters on the brink of retirement, including Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis.
Not only that, but Benn has fought above 147lbs since his second-round finish over Chris van Heerden – another carefully selected opponent – in 2022.
It is, therefore, partly for this reason that Matchroom promoter Hearn has expressed doubt over Benn’s chances in an interview with K.O. Artist Sports.
“It’s an exciting fight for boxing. I don’t like Conor at 147[lbs]; I don’t believe he should be fighting down there.
“He had those two fights with Eubank at 160[lbs]. I’m not saying he’s a middleweight, [but then] he fought Regis Prograis at 150[lbs]. He looked terrible in that fight.
“[Making 147lbs should be] brutal for him now. He trains so hard, but I don’t think he has power down there. I don’t think he’ll have the chin down there.
“And Ryan’s a world-class fighter. He’s very sharp and is a big puncher. But it’ll be fun because Conor’s got big balls – he’ll have a right go.”
While Hearn is likely expressing his true belief, it is equally important to consider his public fallout with Benn, who left Matchroom for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.
