Ryan Garcia expected Conor Benn to charge forward and test his willingness to fight under pressure. What he did not encounter was the punching power that had been used to sell Benn as a serious threat at welterweight.
“I’m going to tell the truth here. No, I did not feel his power,” Garcia said during Saturday night’s post-fight press conference.
Benn (25-2) had rehydrated to 178.4 pounds with his clothes on roughly 10 hours after making 146 for the WBC title fight. That number caused plenty of alarm before the opening bell, but the added bulk never became a weapon against Garcia (26-2, 21 KOs).
Garcia s
