The full Ryan Garcia Conor Benn reaction to the second round knockout came moments ago from champion Ryan Garcia.
He did the official post fight press conference moments ago and said after the fight tonight in Vegas;
On the victory and performance:
“I think it kind of went exactly how I imagined it. He was going to decide to put pressure on me right away, banking on the idea that I might just start folding somehow and maybe get a little tired. But you can’t jump in like that. That’s just not the move.”
On Conor Benn’s level:
“No, he’s exactly what I thought he was. He just needs to gain a little more experience. I don’t think he has enough experience at this point. I just don’t think he was as experienced as me, but I think he’ll be back. He went in and tried to fight me.”
On what’s next:
“I want to unify against Teófimo. I think that’s the move. It’s a huge fight. Teófimo is an entertaining dude, and it’s going to be a hell of a buildup. He’s a good fighter too. So let’s run it.”
On a possible mega card:
“Yeah, I think that’s the move. If Turki and everybody—Zuffa, whoever—can make it happen, why not? I think that’s a huge event. I think it’ll break the internet and be one of the highest-selling double features ever.”
On Oscar De La Hoya not being there:
“I thought he was going to be here. They told me he had a seat. I actually invited him to walk out with me. I thought that was going to be iconic. Everybody was asking where he was, and just having him walk out with me would have been special. But it is what it is. It didn’t happen. I’m here just to do my job, bro. I don’t really try to think about that too much. But would it have been cool to see him there? Yeah.”
On the Mexican Independence Day support and heritage comments:
“It just goes to show you that you can’t be listening to those Instagram comments. It was basically trolls and bots the whole time. And it showed how many people really support me, how many people really love me. It made me very happy to see.”
On what Conor Benn said post-fight:
“Conor spoke some really kind words to me, and I’m going to hold those very true to me. I think he’s an all-right dude. He’s an all-right dude. I have a new level of respect for him—fellow Christian brother. I hope the best for him. I hope he can come back and do great things in the sport.”
On rating Benn’s skill set:
“I think he needs to be a little more patient. That’s what I think.”
On his emotions right now:
“Nothing’s really settled in. I’m still locked in. I’m still hyper-aware. I’m still zoned in right now. I feel like there’s more to fight. I know it ended quick—maybe that’s why. But I’m still locked in.”
On the knockout and the left hook / right hand:
“No, I knew he was looking for it, but it’s so quick. How are you going to counter it? And then when he kept ducking, I just uppercut him. All right, you want to duck? Uppercut. Boom. Left uppercut. Boom. In the first round I was just saying, ‘Just protect yourself. He’s going to get crazy. Just really worry about watching what he’s doing. Download, download, download.’ Then I started hitting him and I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m already timing him.’ In the second round I said, ‘I’m just going to stand my ground a little bit. I’m going to get my respect real quick.’ And when I did, I ended up knocking him out.”
On being the face of boxing:
“You’ve got to say so, right? I mean, you have to say so. You’ve got to respect it. I’m going to hold that as high as I can and try to always be the best champion and the best face of boxing I can possibly be. I’m going to continue maturing, continue evolving. The wisdom will get deeper. I just want to thank God for everything He’s done for me. Thank the Lord for dying on that cross for me and giving me this opportunity. It’s amazing. And I’m going to keep going.”
On whether he feels 20% better as champion:
“I was just getting started in there, guys. There’s a lot of things I’ve been working on. That’s just another opportunity to show that in another fight. But yeah, me as a champion is much different. I feel a deeper level of responsibility, and I can’t wait to keep going.”
Alas, Ryan Garcia got the victory tonight and moves on certainly to some interesting fights shortly.
Let’s see the next fight shortly.
In the end, American famed boxer Ryan Garcia called out Teofimo Lopez tonight but there are many fights that could happen next also.
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