“There’s no way you would get to this point without hard work,” Garcia told Piers Morgan Uncensored. “[What] is kind of funny and ironic, his dad is the only reason he’s at this point of his career. So I’m really getting paid a bunch of money to beat up a beginner. This dude is not at my level.”
Calling Benn a beginner is useful pre-fight ammunition. Garcia still has to deal with a naturally aggressive opponent who will try to close distance, work the body and deny him comfortable punching room.
What caught Garcia’s attention was Benn discussing his future weight before the fight.
“I mean, he’s already saying, ‘This is my last fight at 147’. Like, nobody says that if they feel confident,” Garcia said. “You’re fighting for a world championship bout, and you’re already kind of saying that you’re leaving the division. Hmm, that’s kind of strange to me.”
Garcia predicts he will finish Benn inside five rounds.
That requires more than waiting for the left hook. Benn’s pressure can give Garcia countering opportunities, but Garcia will need the jab to establish distance and prevent the fight becoming an inside battle. If he can make Benn reach on the way forward, his speed becomes considerably harder to handle.
The interview wandered well beyond Benn.
Garcia estimated his career boxing earnings at around $50 million and admitted gambling had previously cost him approximately $2 million.
“You know, I used to gamble a lot. That’s probably my worst regret,” he said. “I used to gamble a lot, but now I don’t anymore.”
Terence Crawford received a considerably sharper response after Garcia was asked about their recent exchanges. Garcia denied Crawford’s claims concerning cocaine use and accused the retired former champion of resenting his success.
“I’ve never done cocaine in my life,” Garcia said. “I’ve only drank and smoked weed. That’s all I’ve ever done.”
Garcia also backed Anthony Joshua over Tyson Fury if the British heavyweights finally fight, saying he believes Joshua has “a little bit more fight left than Fury.”
The Benn prediction is the claim Garcia actually has to answer for in the ring. Five rounds gives him little room for a patient feeling-out process. If Garcia means it, expect him to establish the jab quickly and start looking for Benn’s mistakes almost immediately.
