Dave Allen believes Ryan Garcia would be too much for Conor Benn if their expected welterweight title fight comes together later this year.
Garcia is being lined up for a first defense of the WBC welterweight title he won against Mario Barrios in February, with Benn positioned as the mandatory challenger. The fight has been linked to Las Vegas, though no official date or venue has been confirmed.
There is also promotional tension around the matchup, with Golden Boy reportedly sending a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and TKO over alleged interference involving Garcia. Dana White, however, has said an announcement for Garcia-Benn is getting close.
Allen still sees the fight clearly in Garcia’s favor. “I can’t imagine Conor being good enough to beat Garcia,” he wrote. “Conor is a good fighter, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s good, he’s really athletic. But I just put Garcia in that top bracket.”
His prediction was even more direct: “My prediction would be a Garcia stoppage. I think he’s probably a level or two above where we’ve seen Conor.”
Benn has rebuilt with points wins over Chris Eubank Jr. and Regis Prograis, but he has not made 147lbs since stopping Chris van Heerden in 2022. If Garcia-Benn gets finalized, Allen believes Benn will be stepping into the kind of level he has not yet proven he can handle.
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