Ryan Garcia has finally achieved world honours and now looks to secure a significant during the second half of the year.
Garcia trumped Mario Barrios to get his hands on the WBC welterweight world title back in February. He has since been linked to a rematch with Devin Haney, but that seems set to marinate for a while longer, with Teofimo Lopez instead being touted as a possible first defence.
Garcia does have a mandatory challenger in Conor Benn, however, who fights Regis Prograis on Saturday night at a catchweight of 150lbs in an attempt to drop fully back down to welterweight.
Speaking to the Ring ahead of his return, the Brit made it clear that he was looking to enforce his position should he get the win.
“I want the biggest fights and I don’t think that there is any bigger fight out there than me and Ryan. I have got Regis in front of me, who is an absolute handful, and, no doubt, I have prepared for him as if I am preparing for the unified world champion.”
Benn then went on to explain why he opted to accept a fight with Prograis, rather than wait for a showdown with Garcia, admitting that he ‘likes the risk’ of losing his position as mandatory challenger and was keen for activity.
“I could have waited until July, August, September for Garcia, or whenever he is ready, I could have waited. Do I wait or do I stay active? Do I run that risk fighting a two-time world champion? I like that risk.
“I am in this game to fight and I believe that, on my best day, I beat anybody. So, although he is a southpaw and fights nothing like Garcia, it’s just being active, getting me out. After this fight, get me straight back out again.”
Benn-Prograis is the co-main event of the Fury-Makhmudov bill on Saturday night. Should Benn come through, he is expected to call Garcia out post-fight, leaving it in the hands of the WBC to order the fight.
