Carl Froch has offered his honest thoughts on a potential clash between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, who has maintained his desire to face the WBC world welterweight champion.
The 29-year-old scored a wide unanimous decision victory over Regis Prograis last Saturday, featuring on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But despite the dominant nature of Benn’s 10-round performance, many have highlighted the fact he was facing a faded, injured and physically inferior opponent.
Sure enough, Prograis confirmed that he had sustained multiple injuries throughout his training camp, while also announcing his retirement shortly after losing to Benn.
The former two-time world champion also seemed undersized at their catchweight of 150lbs, which Benn had successfully made after dropping down from middleweight.
Should he face Garcia, then ‘The Destroyer’ would need to make 147lbs for the first time since 2022, when he secured a second-round finish over Chris van Heerden.
It was several months after this performance that Benn twice tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance, while Garcia’s failed drugs tests arrived in 2024.
But despite their controversial history, there is a good chance that the pair will collide in the near future, especially with Benn boasting a No.1 WBC welterweight ranking.
Discussing their possible showdown, Froch said on his YouTube channel, Froch On Fighting, that he favours Garcia to take care of business.
“In his post-fight interview with Anna Woolhouse, [Benn] said, ‘Listen, I want the Ryan Garcia fight’.
“He’s got to take off another 3lbs, to make him even more drained – down at an even lower weight – against someone who punches hard; someone who’s very capable.
“I think that’s a tough fight for Conor.”
Garcia claimed his WBC title in February, dethroning Mario Barrios with a unanimous decision victory after flooring his man in the opening round.
