Keith Thurman delivers honest verdict on Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

On September 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn will headline a co-promoted card between Zuffa Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions. Fight fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland will be able to catch the action live on DAZN, while the rest of the world can watch  the event on Paramount+. 

These two will clash for Garcia’s WBC welterweight world title, which he won against Mario Barrios. Ahead of this world title showdown, former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman spoke to Fight Hub TV and gave his verdict on the bout.

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn set to headline in Las Vegas

The build-up to this fight has already been spicy, with both exchanging verbals at a recent Fan Fest event in New York. As we get closer to fight night, the buildup should be highly entertaining, as should the actual bout.

Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) recently made the decision to move to Zuffa Boxing from Matchroom. This created huge controversy throughout the sport, with many having their opinion on the move. Benn’s two biggest fights have come against Chris Eubank Jr, while he was under the guidance of Eddie Hearn. Since moving to Zuffa, Benn has fought once, producing an underwhelming performance in a win over Regis Prograis.

Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) is a star, and he has produced star-like performances during his career, including the impressive win over Barrios to win the WBC crown. He has also underperformed, including against Gervonta Davis and more recently against Rolly Romero. Many will be wondering what Ryan Garcia shows up on fight night.

Keith Thurman has his say on Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

When speaking to Fight Hub TV, Keith Thurman had his say on Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn:

“I don’t think that the Ryan that fought Rolly was the real Ryan. I think the Ryan that we saw last time was more close to the real Ryan. I still think he can improve if he wants to be a dominant factor at 147.

“And I think this rough, tough opposition is a great way to showcase his skills and talent, if he wants to try and be the man.

“I saw a small comment from Andre Ward, who thinks that this could be a big challenge for Ryan, stylistically, as the pressure goes on.”

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

Looking ahead to this potentially explosive matchup, it’s clear both will bring plenty of desire on fight night.

Benn has always been known as a high-octane come-forward wrecking machine. However, in the rematch against Chris Eubank Jr, he showed a different skill set, where he remained poised throughout, used his feet and jabbed well throughout to maintain the distance and control the tempo. Yes, it was a clearly struggling Eubank, but he still implemented the tactics perfectly.

Garcia possesses elite hand speed. He is capable of putting together 5- and 6-punch combinations before his opponent has even thought about reacting to the first punch. His left hook is the money punch, and he will be looking to catch Benn lunging in and falling short, while “KingRy” is ready to punish him.

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