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Former Champion Predicts Ryan Garcia Would KO Conor Benn Amid Fight Rumors

Sergio Mora believes an improved Ryan Garcia would emphatically beat Conor Benn in hypothetical matchup
Ryan Garcia
Ryan Garcia | IMAGO / Pacific Press Agency

Conor Benn's recent win over Regis Prograis seemingly set up a collision course with WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia, allowing everyone to pitch their opinion on the matchup before it has even been signed. Former WBC super welterweight champion Sergio Mora believes he already has the anticipated clash of styles pegged.

Despite Benn coming off back-to-back high-profile wins over Prograis and Chris Eubank Jr., Mora still does not believe he is a world-class boxer. The fighter-turned-analyst confidently predicted a knockout win for Garcia if the matchup ever comes to fruition.

"That version of Ryan Garcia [who beat Mario Barrios] knocks out Conor Benn," Mora said on 'The Fighter and the Writer' podcast. "He'll keep him at the end. That quick-twitch left hook. Conor Benn will be afraid to even attempt to lunge in like he did against Eubank Jr. If you fall off-balanced lunging in with a fighter like Ryan Garcia, it's lights out with two punches."

Benn improved to 25-1 with his win over Prograis, which served as his Zuffa Boxing debut. He has since re-signed a multi-fight deal with Dana White's promotion before publicly calling out Garcia on ESPN's 'First Take.'

Although Prograis is arguably the biggest win of Benn's career, many fans still disliked the performance. Benn closed as a massive betting favorite to knock out the 37-year-old Prograis, who announced his retirement after the loss, making the 10-round decision disappointing to some.

Garcia is coming off his title-winning performance against Mario Barrios in February. He entered the fight off a disappointing loss to Rolando 'Rolly' Romero for the vacant WBA welterweight title, but looked like a new fighter against Barrios to finally clinch his first world title.

Conor Benn, Ryan Garcia remain on each others' hit lists

Conor Benn
Welterweight boxer Conor Benn | IMAGO / NurPhot

Although they have not competed in the same weight class for a while — Benn fought Chris Eubank Jr. at middleweight before facing Prograis at a 150-pound catchweight — Benn and Garcia have done nothing but relentlessly call each other out on social media for months. The fight seems to be what both athletes want, but extenuating circumstances have it far from a done deal.

While Benn recently aligned with White, Garcia has been working with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions for years. White and De La Hoya have infamously been in each other's throats for nearly a decade and seemingly refuse to do business with one another.

Zuffa Boxing has done a great job severing relationships with many other powerful entities in the boxing industry all year and has yet to conduct business with anyone other than Turki Alalshikh and Ring Magazine. They have been De La Hoya's primary target during his weekly "Clapback Thursday" segments since their official launch in January.

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Jaren Kawada
JAREN KAWADA

Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.

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