Sergio Mora Says Conor Benn Is Tailor-Made For Ryan Garcia

Former WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Mora believes Ryan Garcia has matured since his victory over Mario Barrios and enters the fight as the naturally bigger, faster and stronger man.

“I like Ryan Garcia. I just think Conor Benn is not big enough for 147. He wasn’t even big enough for the catchweights. He wasn’t knocking people out anymore,” said Mora on Chris Mannix’s channel. “We’ve seen how he reacts with speed and power and length against Eubank Jr. He was able to do great, but ultimately he was at the end of the punches against an older fighter in Eubank. He’s going to be dealing with a younger, faster, stronger champion now in Ryan Garcia. I think a more motivated, more mature, responsible fighter in Ryan Garcia… I favor Ryan Garcia in that fight. I don’t think Conor Benn is able to handle the speed and the power and the longer frame of Ryan Garcia. I think that fight ends in knockout.”

Mora pointed to Benn’s tendency to square up while attacking as another reason the matchup favors Ryan. Against a fighter whose left hook has produced some of the sport’s most devastating knockouts, Mora believes those defensive lapses will eventually be punished.

Later in the discussion, he expanded on that point, saying Benn’s pressure style is tailor-made for Ryan’s offense.

“Conor Benn squares up when he misses punches, and he likes to fight square on the inside and attack you,” said Mora. “That’s a recipe for disaster with a guy whose favorite punch is a left hook, and he picks you up with uppercuts. I think Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn is tailor-made for Ryan Garcia.”

Ryan reinforced his standing as one of boxing’s biggest attractions with his unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios to capture the WBC welterweight title. Benn now gets an opportunity to upset the champion on one of the year’s biggest fight cards, but Mora sees Garcia’s physical advantages and offensive arsenal producing a knockout victory.