Ryan Garcia said there’s just one boxer who can beat him after his big win over Conor Benn.
After his big win over Conor Benn on Saturday, Ryan Garcia has been told that the only guy who can beat him in the ring is Shakur Stevenson. Garcia defended his WBC welterweight title with an impressive performance, knocking Benn out in the second round after just four and a half minutes. The fight ended with a technical knockout (TKO) thanks to a powerful right hand from the 28-year-old.
So far, Garcia’s only losses were to Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero. His close win over Devin Haney was later changed to a no contest because of a failed drug test.
Hamzah Sheeraz, the WBO super-middleweight champ, thinks Stevenson is the only fighter who can beat Garcia right now. Sheeraz believes Garcia would get the better of Teofimo Lopez but not Stevenson, who recently won the WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles. Talking to Fight Hub TV, Sheeraz said, “If anyone gets hit by that right hand, they’re out. Ryan Garcia is on a different level. He can beat Teofimo Lopez, but the one person who can beat Ryan is Shakur Stevenson. No one else.”
Stevenson’s win over Lopez was at 140 lbs, while Garcia has won two out of three fights at 147 lbs. Even though Stevenson could be a future opponent, Garcia made it clear he wants to fight Lopez next after his easy win over Benn. Lopez was actually at the T-Mobile Arena that night.
Lopez had lost to Stevenson but came back strong with a win over Romero, who previously beat Garcia. After the fight, Garcia said, “I want to unify against Teofimo. That’s the move. It’s a huge fight and Teo is exciting. The build-up will be great, and he’s a good fighter, so let’s make it happen.”
Zuffa Boxing will start working to set up the fight, but Garcia already believes he knows how it will go. He thinks Lopez’s defense isn’t as strong as people think and that he can knock him out. “I think he’s easier to hit than people realize,” Garcia said after the fight. “I’m confident my punch is heavy, and once I land a solid shot, he’ll be stumbling and I’ll get him out of there. It won’t be the easiest fight, but I know I’ll win.”