Ryan Garcia needed just over a minute of the second round to end Conor Benn's night, dropping the Briton twice before referee Thomas Taylor stepped in at 1:25. The official result: a second-round TKO for Garcia, who defended his WBC welterweight title for the first time in front of a rowdy T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The fight was expected to begin around 11 p.m. on Paramount+, and the main event delivered far less competitive action than the build-up promised. Garcia (25-2, 1 no-contest) had not fought since February, when he took a unanimous decision over Mario Barrios to claim the belt. Benn (25-1, 14 knockouts) arrived on a two-fight win streak after the lone loss of his career, having beaten Chris Eubank Jr. and Regis Prograis, both by unanimous decision. This was, by any measure, the biggest fight of Benn's career. It lasted 85 seconds of actual boxing.
The first round was frantic. Both men fired rapid jabs, with Garcia landing a quick counter left and a clean uppercut. Benn attacked the body and threw big shots, but most missed. Garcia danced side to side, almost frantic in his movement, while Benn stayed busy. The round was close enough that MMA Fighting scored it 10-9 for Garcia, though neither man had established real dominance.
That changed in the second. Benn went to the body again, mixing in head shots, but Garcia caught him off balance with a heavy left. A counter right followed, and then another right on the money sent Benn to the canvas. He answered the count, but he was hurt. Garcia pressed forward, loading up heavy punches and trapping Benn on the ropes. Taylor stepped in for the save as Garcia punched away. Benn did not protest the stoppage.
The speed of the finish was striking given the pre-fight narrative. Garcia had spoken openly about his spiritual state heading into this contest, citing it as the source of his joy and peace. After the win, he said his right hand had always been a weapon, but that injuries had hindered him in the past. He thanked Benn for helping to build the fight. He capped off his speech with a shout of "Viva Mexico!"
For Benn, the loss is a brutal setback. He had rebuilt his career after his lone defeat, and the wins over Eubank Jr. and Prograis had positioned him for exactly this kind of headline opportunity. Instead, he was overwhelmed in the second round by a fighter who looked sharp, fast and fully healthy. Garcia's movement in the first round had looked almost erratic, but it set up the timing for the right hand that ended the night.
The undercard results were not immediately detailed, but the main event will be the story. Garcia, who has dealt with injuries and a no-contest on his record, now has a stoppage win over a legitimate welterweight contender on his resume. The way he finished matters. He did not just outpoint Benn; he took him out in a manner that will force the division to take notice.
Benn had entered the ring first, walking out to a charged T-Mobile Arena before Garcia made his entrance. The crowd was rowdy from the start, and the early exchanges suggested a competitive fight might be brewing. The second round erased that notion.
Taylor, the third man in the ring, had little to do beyond the first round. His intervention at 1:25 of the second was timely. Benn was on the ropes, taking heavy punches without answering back, and the referee's decision to wave it off was a straightforward one.
Garcia's post-fight comments pointed to a fighter who believes he has turned a corner. He cited his spirituality as the reason for his peace and joy heading into the bout. He credited his right hand as a natural weapon, one he said had been limited by injuries in previous camps. And he thanked Benn for helping to build the fight, a classy note after a brutal finish.
The "Viva Mexico!" closer was a nod to his heritage, delivered after a performance that will likely set up bigger fights. Garcia had already proven he could win a title. Saturday night, he proved he could end a fight in emphatic fashion against a credible opponent.
According to Yahoo Sports.
