Two-division world champion Carl Frampton has offered his thoughts on this weekend’s WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.
Benn’s pre-fight words have drawn concern from some his fans and given further confidence to the already self-assured Garcia, admitting that this will be his final outing as a welterweight following a challenging weight cut, as he returns to the 147lb division for the first time since April 2022.
Whether that was a naïve admission or an attempt at mind games remains to be seen, as the Briton sets out to pull off the upset and gain world honours for the first time in his career by dethroning one of the United States’ biggest superstars.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Frampton warned that Benn should not be written off but maintained that, in his mind, Garcia has to be considered as the more likely to come out on top.
“I think that it’s a good fight, I think that it’s a competitive fight. A lot of people have Garcia as a heavy favourite, I have him as a favourite but not a heavy favourite. It wouldn’t surprise me if Benn wins.
“I think if you look at how Benn fights and his tenacity, that could give Garcia a lot of problems. and whether you live to believe it or not, [he quit] against Gervonta Davis, who is a smaller man than Benn.
“Benn isn’t Gervonta Davis, they are different fighters but if he is quitting against Gervonta Davis, I think that someone with the tenacity of Conor Benn could do the same, genuinely, but I do have Garcia as the favourite.
“I think that his timing is very good, that left-hook is very special and very fast and Benn is going to be there to be hit but don’t write Benn off, I think that he has a chance.”
Garcia-Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Jai Opetaia set to face reigning WBC cruiserweight world champion Noel Mikaelian in the co-main event.
