Conor Benn is paying little attention to the antics of his September 12 opponent, Ryan Garcia. The pair clash in Las Vegas for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title.
Garcia defeated Mario Barrios to win the title in February and put a full stop on a difficult period in his career; his April 2024 victory over Devin Haney was ruled a no-contest following Garcia testing positive for ostarine before his comeback, after a year suspension, ended in a loss to Rolly Romero.
Garcia has long been convinced he has the beating of Benn, telling the world that the Englishman, 25-1 (14 KOs), is in for a shock when he steps up.
“It’s all just noise,” Benn told Sky Sports. “It doesn’t really concern me, doesn’t bother me. I’m just coming there to take his title off him.
“I plan on going in there and getting a stoppage, for sure. I’m just going to go in there and do what I do, which is plant one on his chin and try and put him to sleep.
“I prepare diligently hard and always put the work in. I’ve taken it with both hands and I’m coming in there to cause havoc.”
Benn’s placement as the WBC’s mandatory at 147lbs caused a stir last December. After all, Benn has not fought at welterweight since April 2022. Last year he went 1-1 with Chris Eubank Jnr up at middleweight and, in April, weighed just under 150lbs while outpointing Regis Prograis over 10 rounds. That bout was his first under the Zuffa umbrella since his shock departure from Matchroom.
But his intention was always to return to welterweight and pursue the green and gold belt his father Nigel Benn claimed up at super middle in the 1990s.
“For me to get a world title shot, the prestigious WBC world title, the belt my dad won, it’s a blessing,” Benn, currently a 3-to-1 underdog against Garcia, said.
“That’s not my driving factor. My driving factor is to do it for myself. It’s for me to prove that I’m one of the best in the world.
“I like being the underdog,” he said. “I think I perform at my best. I think every single one of my fights has led me to this moment. All the pressure I’ve had early on in my career has prepared me for nights like those at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium [against Eubank Jnr last year].
“It’s prepared me for the noise and the drama and the chaos. So come September 12, it’s nothing new, nothing different.”
