Ryan Garcia sounded fully comfortable turning the September 12 Conor Benn fight in Las Vegas into a public test of Benn’s weight cut, Terence Crawford’s influence, and Garcia’s own claim on boxing’s biggest dates.
Garcia spoke with Fight Hub TV on September 1 during fight-week buildup for his WBC welterweight title defense against Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena. The interview moved quickly from Garcia’s camp to Benn’s move back to 147 pounds, then to Crawford and Brian McIntyre backing the challenger.
Garcia said camp has been clean enough that he expects his speed to show immediately.
“Smooth like butter. Like, you know, you make toast in the morning, you just put that nice butter on it. Take a nice bite. Even add bananas on it. It’s been going real well.”
“Smooth as butter. Nasty. Sharp.”
Garcia Sees Benn’s Weight Talk Differently
Benn has already said this will be his last fight at welterweight, and Garcia treated that as a built-in explanation if the cut drains him. Garcia also separated Benn’s situation from his own rehydration-clause experience against Gervonta Davis.
“Oh, million%. He already set it up. You already heard him say, ‘This is my last fight at 147. Who wants to become a champion and then leave the division?’ Bro is making excuses. He’s not going to become a champion, but I’m saying who would do that, you know, it makes no sense unless you’re setting up an excuse.”
“He not going through what I went through. I had to not gain 10 pounds. He don’t have a rehydration clause. That’s where it hurts you. Everybody got to cut weight. All the UFC fighters have to cut weight. That’s just horrible. It’s not being able to gain the weight back the right way is the tough part. So, I don’t really have any sympathy for him. I had to do it. Everybody has to do it. UFC fighters have to do it. Everybody got to do it. So, it’s not really that bad. He just making excuses.”
That focus connects directly to a recurring fight-week concern around Benn after Spencer Oliver warned that the 147-pound return could matter against Garcia. Garcia, however, said Benn accepted the position and must deal with the consequence.
“Like I said, he forced himself in this position and now he’s gonna learn what happens when you force anything in life. You’re gonna run into some shit.”
Garcia also predicted a short night when asked about his father’s six-round forecast.
“Five. Five or less.”
“If it goes to six, then it might just he might just leave out in the stretcher, bro. I ain’t going to lie. I don’t want to waste the worst for him, but easy work.”
Garcia did not deny Benn’s ranking position, but he suggested Benn’s family name has helped him reach this chance.
“That’s not my discretion to say. He’s ranked number one, I guess. So, you just got to handle business. He’s the mandatory, so we’re here to do our job. It’s no secret that his dad’s name has given him a lot of privileges. But you can’t really, I’m not going to put a man down for his dad putting that hard work for him and that put him in that position cuz his dad paid his dues.”
Crawford Becomes Part Of The Benn Fight
Garcia then turned toward Crawford and Fernando Vargas Jr., who were raised as high-profile names picking against him. Crawford has been around Benn’s gym during the buildup, but Garcia said that will not solve the fight for Benn.
“You notice what they all have in common. They all sound bitter and hateful. Bro, nothing good comes out of that ever. They’re obviously bitter, which I don’t really care what they think. At the end of the day, they can’t fight for Conor Benn at all. They can’t punch for him. I know Crawford’s at Conor Benn’s gym trying to give him every technique he could give him. That shit ain’t going to help cuz I feel like I’ll beat your ass. So, what you going to teach him?”
“At the end of the day, they’re trying to all come together, try to tear me down because they know I’m here and I’m about to take over. I’m potentially can be the face of boxing after this fight.”
Garcia also aimed at McIntyre after being told Crawford’s trainer had criticized him.
“Big Mac is crazy. That one’s better than mine. I was going to say Bo Crack cuz he sounds like he on crack, but Big Mac is crazy. Big Mac is tripping, bro.”
“Again. Hateful dude. He don’t know nothing about me. And then he just wants to say I’m trash. Don’t wake up a sleeping giant. Like my god. One, I’m not afraid of giants. And two, I never even talked really. I gave my honest opinion saying that he left a lot on the table. That’s all I said. Crawford is the one that’s coming up and always, you know, slight hating on me little by little.”
“If they want to come back, they can. But in the meantime, you’re retired. You should be in Turks and Caicos chilling on a yacht, enjoying your family. He’s desperate, bro. Nobody knows him outside of boxing, so he’s doing everything he can to continue his name. He’s actually, he actually likes the attention.”
“If you really want to come back, come back. If not, just be quiet. It’s not your turn anymore. You had your turn. You had your run. There should be no more talking, bro.”
The Garcia-Benn card also includes Jai Opetaia vs. Noel Mikaelian in the co-main event. Garcia’s current message is that Benn’s weight cut and Crawford’s advice will not change the task in front of him on September 12.
