It’s been slow and subtle, but a budding rivalry has been brewing between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. After Garcia’s victory over Devin Haney, which was overturned later, Benn had expressed interest in facing the Victorville native. The 26-year-old responded with a provocative challenge to meet at London’s O2 Arena. He threatened to “fracture [Benn’s] spleen and then eat it.” Benn, of course, returned in kind, claiming he’d “smash Garcia’s teeth down his neck.” The result?
Though a fight had failed to materialize between them back then, a near-physical altercation broke out at the 2025 Ring Magazine Awards in London, escalating their rivalry. However, after Garcia suffered a shock loss to Rolando Romero in May, the chances of a potential fight between them started dying down. “Huge fight, but he’s lost, he’s just got battered and he’s got his own demons to sort out,” Benn said in an interview with Fight Hub TV recently, when asked about a potential fight between them.
It’s worth noting that Garcia’s career has taken a downward spiral. Before the Haney fight last year, he showcased erratic behavior, posting random, often disturbing tweets online. Despite that, ahead of the Romero fight, he came back to his normal self. Still, getting banned from boxing for a year, losing to Romero, and a recent feud with his promoter has led Benn to believe Garcia needs self-care at the moment. “It’s like he needs to do a lot of self-care rather than you know me going, ‘Oh listen it’s a money fight,’” Benn added.
20th April 2019, O2 Arena, London, England; Matchroom Boxing, Dave Allen and Derek Chisora; Undercard fight as Conor Benn after his victory against Josef Zahradnik PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxSWExNORxDENxFINxONLY ActionPlus12126203 ShaunxBrooks
“He needs to sort himself out first, before you know, he goes near a ring,” Benn continued. When the reporter pressed the Brit on how exciting the fight would be, Benn suggested he would be open to fighting for a $15 million payday. “Listen, I’ll fight anybody,” Benn told the reporter. “If they go to me, ‘Yeah, listen, here’s 15 mil,’ no problem.” However, the Brit claims he doesn’t have any motivation to fight Ryan Garcia after the latter’s recent loss, apart from money.
For now, Benn has another challenge ahead. The 28-year-old is set for a highly anticipated rematch against rival Chris Eubank Jr. on September 20, 2025, in London. Their first encounter, held on April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, ended with Eubank Jr. earning a unanimous decision victory. Garcia, on the other hand, has revitalized his feud with his promoter, justifying Benn’s concerns about a fight.
Oscar De La Hoya expresses concern for Ryan Garcia
Oscar De La Hoya and Ryan Garcia have had their issues in the past, which even resulted in lawsuits. However, they appeared to have put all those things in the past until a few days ago. Oscar hopped on social media to express concern about his star boxer after Garcia sent him an explosive, profanity-laden message.
April 20, 2023, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Ryan Garcia addresses the media at the final press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz for his fight with Gervonta Ãââ TankÃââ Davis this Saturday from the T Mobile Arena on Showtime Pay Per View. Las Vegas USA – ZUMAd151 20230420_znp_d151_009 Copyright: xAdamxDelGiudicex
“First of all, f*** you… You can suck a d*** and I know you already do. So f*** you. You can kiss my a**,” Garcia blasted De La Hoya over what he called a “s**** contract.” Instead of retaliating against the Victorville native, Oscar chose to address Garcia’s mental health struggles. “Unfortunately, Ryan Garcia is having another episode,” De La Hoya posted on X.
“Ten days ago, [he was] talking about God and finding his path, then tonight he sends me this rant while watching his fellow Golden Boy fighters win. Bipolar disorder is very serious, and I hope he gets the help he needs.”
It’s clear Ryan Garcia is going through a tough period in his career. While Conor Benn sympathizes, a $15 million payday seems to be enough to overlook Garcia’s issues. However, is Ryan Garcia truly ready to return to action?
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