With an announcement anticipated imminently, Conor Benn’s long-awaited showdown with Ryan Garcia is becoming one of boxing’s hot topics once again. Now, two-division world champion, Tim Bradley, has revealed his thoughts on the fight.
Benn has not fought at welterweight since April 2022, but he remains the WBC’s mandatory challenger. A showdown with champion Garcia has been heavily rumoured throughout 2026, although negotiations have been held up by promotional issues, with Benn signed to Zuffa and Garcia to Golden Boy. However, Oscar De La Hoya has now revealed that he is working to make the fight and insists it “will happen.”
Garcia’s comfortability at the weight and superior résumé will see him enter the contest as the betting favourite, with a victory for the Californian likely to tee up a fascinating unification clash and rematch with fierce rival, Devin Haney.
However, speaking to Boxing News, Bradley explained why he believes fans are overlooking Benn, whom he expects to have Garcia ‘second-guessing himself’.
“No, I don’t [see Garcia as a big favourite]. I think that Ryan will be the favourite based upon his last performance and based on Benn’s last performance, everybody is basing it on that but everybody is forgetting that styles make fights.
“Everybody is forgetting that Ryan Garcia doesn’t like guys that have punching power, right? You get a guy like Rolly, whose style is tricky and very unique, it is not your ordinary style, he fights off-rhythm and he is very explosive, that gave Ryan Garcia issues and problems.
“Now, imagine a guy like Conor Benn; short, low center of gravity, likes to squat, likes to bend his legs, likes to explode with his offensive and has punching power as well, he can box a little bit – he showed that against Eubank – he can box when he wants to.
“For me, that is a challenging fight for Ryan, the power alone, I think, is going to have Ryan Garcia sceptical and second-guessing himself, ‘should I make that move? Maybe he will make me pay if I make that move’. It could make him put his hands in his pockets, so to speak.
“You know that Ryan don’t like that heat. All he had to do against Rolly was back up Rolly, that is all he needed to do and he didn’t want to do that, not on that night, he didn’t want to do that.”
Whilst reluctant to forecast a Benn triumph outright, Bradley then went on to label the affair as a ’50/50’, refusing to rule out an upset win for the challenger.
“So, I am not counting out no Conor Benn, man, I think that Conor Benn definitely has a chance of winning the fight.”
“I’m going to say it’s a 50/50, people are going to say, ‘Tim you crazy’. It’s a 50/50, I am telling you. It’s not going to be an easy fight for Ryan Garcia.”
Reports suggest that Garcia-Benn will take place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the card expected to be broadcast live on Netflix.
