Tim Bradley has praised the right hands of both Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, but believes only one of them will put a “definitive” end to their contest.
The two welterweights will square off at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12, with Garcia making a first defence of his WBC world title.
‘King Ry’ claimed this prize by dethroning Mario Barrios, who he floored in the opening round before scoring a unanimous decision victory in February.
Based on that performance, many believe Garcia has become a more rounded fighter following his points defeat to Rolando Romero in May 2025.
Rather than relying solely on the left hook – his signature punch – the 27-year-old managed to hurt Barrios most frequently with his straight right hand.
Benn, too, appears to possess a spiteful backhand, albeit while having not scored any stoppages since his second-round finish over Chris van Heerden in 2022.
Interestingly enough, this also happened to be his last outing at 147lbs, with ‘The Destroyer’ having since fought as high as middleweight in his two encounters with Chris Eubank Jr.
After losing their first fight, in April 2025, Benn outpointed Eubank the following November before achieving the same result against Regis Prograis this past April.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Hall of Famer Bradley has given the 29-year-old a genuine chance but ultimately backs Garcia to win by knockout.
“I think somebody’s going to get knocked out. You’ve got Benn, who can punch. Anybody that can punch tends to put Ryan on the [defensive].
“Barrios couldn’t punch like [Benn]. So I feel like Benn has a chance, because he has a good right hand – a strong right hand – and [applies a lot of] pressure.
“He’s mentally strong. [But] he’s got to get past that left hook [of Garcia]. In Garcia’s last fight, that right hand was [also] very effective. I believe that’s going to be a definitive punch [against Benn].”
While Garcia was, indeed, effective with his right cross against Barrios, it is also worth noting that he injured this hand during their contest.
