Ryan Garcia is a lightning rod for controversy, but make no mistake about it—the man can fight.
The WBC welterweight boxing champion made quick work of Conor Benn on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as Garcia won via TKO in the second round. It was Garcia’s quickest victory in six years.
Garcia belted Benn with his patented left hook before knocking him out with his right hand 45 seconds into the second round. Benn would get up, but the fight was stopped by referee Thomas Taylor just seconds later as Garcia teed off against a defenseless Benn on the ropes.
“I’ve always had a right hand, but I always had injuries,” Garcia told The Ring’s Max Kellerman after the fight. “So, this is kind of the first two fights I had no injuries on my right hand. And I’m just happy, man. I’m blessed.”
The Victorville, California native is already targeting his next opponent. Below, we will take a look at some of his potential opponents.
Ryan Garcia: Who will the WBC welterweight champion fight next?
Garcia wasted little time pivoting toward his next fight as he called out Teofimo Lopez right after dismissing Benn.
“Teofimo, get that [expletive] up here! Where you at? Unified time. Where you at? Where you at, Teofimo,” Garcia shouted while still in the ring. “You want to get crazy? We can get crazy. I’ll beat your [expletive] right now!”
Lopez was in attendance and attempted to charge the ring, but he was held back by security.
“I think [Lopez] is weak in his defense,” Garcia said, according to boxing writer Dan Rafael. “I think that people kind of overrate his defense. I think he’s much easier to hit than people think he is and I think that I will knock him out. I think my punch is heavy and once I crack him, I think that he’ll stumble and I’ll get him out of there. Now, I’m not gonna say he’s gonna be the easiest fight, but I know I’ll get him out of there.
“He’s small. This man is not a 147-pounder. I’ll tell you that. And when I was in front of him, he’s small. He’s gonna get beat up by me bad. Look, if the fans want to do it, let’s do it. I mean, he has a belt. Let’s unify. Why not?”
Lopez won the WBA super welterweight championship by defeating Rolly Romero last month. Lopez is 22-2. He has never faced Garcia.
Another fighter on Garcia’s radar is certainly Devin Haney (33-0).
Garcia beat Haney by majority decision in April of 2024 but the result was later changed to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for ostarine.
Garcia has also expressed interest in a rematch against “Tank” Davis and in a fight against undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
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