Ryan's Dominance: Two Rounds to Defeat Conor Benn

On September 12 in Las Vegas, a bout for the WBC and Zuffa Boxing world welterweight titles took place between 28-year-old American Ryan Garcia (26–2, 21 KOs) and 29-year-old Briton Conor Benn (25–2, 14 KOs). The audience didn’t even get to see half the fight, let alone a quarter of it—it was all over in less than two rounds. Ryan had said he’d finish it by the fifth round. However, he decided not to wait that long.

Garcia had his doubts. But his recent fights dispelled them

Ryan Garcia, even as the WBC welterweight champion, hadn’t been impressing with his recent record: two losses, two wins, and one fight ruled a no-contest in his last five bouts.

His knockout loss to Jervonta Davis can be explained—he had to make weight under inhuman conditions. And not only did he have to make the division limit, but he also had to maintain it afterward. The loss to Rolando Romero is harder to explain. “Rolly” was considered the underdog going into the fight, but he won thanks to greater mental resilience. Garcia couldn’t handle the pressure mentally or keep up with his opponent’s technical skills. It was precisely this factor—psychology—that became the key issue leading up to the fight with Benn. Ryan himself stated on ESPN’s First Take this week that he expected to win by knockout and that it “wouldn’t even take five rounds.” He wasn’t lying.

Unlike his opponent, there were no questions about Benn’s mental toughness. In 2025, he fought two bouts against the significantly larger Chris Eubank Jr. He lost the first fight. In the rematch, he won. Mentally, Conor held his own both times, as the pressure was incredible. Even though he had burned out a bit before the first fight.

The Brit looked better than Garcia in those fights, when the American was falling apart mentally. Benn even made weight without any trouble. However, none of that mattered in the ring.

The first round was intense from the opening bell. Benn tried to close the distance and throw combinations. However, Garcia used his speed and footwork to his advantage, keeping Conor at bay and meeting him with powerful punches. Ryan’s left hand found its mark immediately, and the Brit’s corner had reason to worry. Power punches were flying from all directions, and Conor couldn’t find an answer.

Although the start could have gone differently, no one expected it to end quite so quickly.

In the second round, Garcia immediately found an opening for a right uppercut. Conor closed the distance very aggressively, for which he paid the price. A hard right cross sent Benn to the canvas. After that, he might as well not have gotten back up, but he did, albeit briefly. Garcia continued to unleash powerful punches. Benn was pinned against the ropes. He wasn’t throwing any counterpunches and, in essence, couldn’t defend himself. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight at 1:25 of the second round.

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The stoppage may have seemed premature, but Conor’s condition at that moment left little room for doubt. And Benn himself didn’t argue or protest. He clearly didn’t know how to defend himself or move forward.

What’s next?

After his victory, Garcia immediately called out Teofimo Lopez. And it works the other way around, too—they’ve already had a confrontation in front of the ring, but the boxers weren’t allowed to get close to each other. This will be a fight for two belts at once. The other two are held by Devin Haney and Liam Paro.

The ideal scenario looks like this: Teofimo and Ryan determine the unified champion alongside Haney and Paro. The fight for the undisputed championship would be either a rematch between Garcia and Devin or a bout between Lopez and Hayne. Paro is the least likely to make it in this quartet.

Conor, meanwhile, plans to move up to heavier weight classes. Middleweight is among the options he’s mentioned. There aren’t any major stars there right now, though Virgil Ortiz is headed in that direction. If Benn has an easier time making weight, why not give it a try? He could fight for titles—or at least for good money. Benn is a star in the UK, and Zuffa Boxing pays him very well.

Ryan Garcia showed tonight what everyone has long been waiting for: a convincing, quick, and undisputed victory. The fastest knockout since February 2020! No questions for the judges, no complaints about weight, no mental breakdowns. If he goes into the fight with Lopez in the same form, it’s going to be a very serious contest.