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It is over!
Ryan Garcia stops Conor Benn (Photo Credit: Zuffa Boxing)
Advertised as an interesting competitive bout, it was anything but that.
Ryan Garcia landed a big punch, then another, and another. It started in the first round, and by the second it was over, as Conor Benn hit the deck and was stopped shortly thereafter while standing.
The fight proved a lot of things, but mostly talent matters. Benn, the son of Nigel Benn, is a domestic British level with his major win coming against Chris Eubank Jr., who is another fighter living off his father’s fame. Benn isn’t bad, but he is untested. Against Garcia, he simply didn’t understand what was happening. Conversely, Garcia was having a ball loading up on power shots as he waited for Benn, who looked like he thought toughness would vanquish Garcia’s skill (and speed) this evening.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
Instead, Benn, who posted a photo weighing a lot more than the 146 lbs he weighed in at the day prior, proved that when talent isn’t the same, weight classes don’t matter. Benn could have entered as a heavyweight and the result would be the same.
The scariest thing (at least to me) was that this was fairly obvious. Yet, with some marketing and two guys trash-talking, it got people going. Garcia is still unproven as an elite fighter, but building a resume, whereas Benn probably will have many more nights like this if he fights elite fighters, with the hope of toughness winning the fight alone.
Undercard results:
In the co-feature, cruiserweight Jai Opetaia earned a ninth-round technical knockout over Noel Mikaelian. The bout was rugged. Opetaia’s power was the difference. He dominated the majority of the fight, but Mikaelian’s mauling style, similar to former Australian champion Sam Soliman, made for a clumsy tactical bout. In the ninth, Opetaia landed a series of clean left and right hands that rocked Mikaelian. Mikaelian wobbled into the ropes, as the referee ruled it a knockdown. Despite Mikaelian wanting to continue, the bout was halted.
Bring on Opetaia versus David Benavidez, ASAP. That is the best fight that could be made. They faced off in the ring after the fight.
Da’Mazion Vanhouter announced himself as America’s next hope for a heavyweight. The 21-year-old Vanhouter stopped Raphael Akpejiori in the first round. Most impressively, he dropped Akpejiori twice and potentially had his shoulder dislocate before landing the biggest blow.
To open the main card, lightweight Andres Cortes won a 10-round unanimous decision over former featherweight champion Mark Magsayo. The fight was ugly, but Cortes continues to impress with Zuffa. He now has back-to-back upset wins. Magsayo struggled to handle Cortes’ inside fighting.
Welterweight Alexis Rocha handed former world champion Jose Ramirez his third consecutive loss, winning a 10-round unanimous decision. Fighting at 152lbs catchweight, Vlad Panin stopped Dakota Linger standing in the fourth round. Panin has stopped four straight opponents. Welterweight Abel Gonzalez got off the deck in the first round to Raul Salomon, winning an eight-round unanimous decision. Junior lightweight Oswald Molina defeated Pablo Rubio via a six-round unanimous decision. In the opener, Sean Garcia won a six-round majority decision over Abraham Morales.
Other notable results:
On ProBox TV, former junior middleweight titleholder Abass Baraou defeated Giovani Santillan via majority decision. Former featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez fought for the third time at junior lightweight. Three must be a lucky number for Lopez as he stopped Daniel Lugo in that round. Junior lightweight Dominic Valle outlasted Francois Scarboro Jr. in a battle of junior lightweight unbeatens. In a somewhat surprising upset, little-known Jorge de Jesus won a majority decision over Mercito Gesta. Lightweight Julian Montalvo stopped Anthony Cruz Herrera in five.
Junior flyweight Regie Suganob knocked out former champion Sivenathi Nontshinga in the fifth round. It was a big KO. Suganob went down in the third round. Suganob is the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt. Thanongsak Simsri holds the title and will face Mark Vicelles on September 26. Thank you, Tokkers, for updating us on this fight.
