Conor Benn slams ‘cowardly’ Ryan Garcia as he opens up on new Zuffa Boxing deal

Conor Benn believes Ryan Garcia has been acting like a ‘coward’ ahead of an expected WBC world title clash.

Both welterweight stars are reportedly in advanced negotiations to meet for the green and gold belt this summer.

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Benn, who defeated Regis Prograis on the Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov undercard this month, is the mandatory challenger at 147lbs to fight Garcia in the American’s first title defence.

After his victory over Prograis, Benn was called out by Garcia, who has since seemingly confirmed that the blockbuster clash will take place in Las Vegas this summer.

Fresh off signing a new five-fight deal with Dana White‘s Zuffa Boxing, Benn was asked about facing Garcia and had stern words for his potential future opponent.

Conor Benn: Where has ‘King Ry’ been?

“He’s a bit cowardly,” Benn told talkSPORT at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where WWE’s WrestleMania takes place this weekend.

“Because he’s seen me go 10 rounds with Regis — I haven’t fought at that weight in four years, six weeks’ notice for a tricky southpaw, two-time former world champion.

“He’s probably sitting there going, ‘Oh yeah, I want some of that now.’

“It just goes to show he’s cowardly, because where have you been?

“I’ve been vocal about getting that WBC world title, I’ve been vocal about fighting you, now you want it. It just sums his character up.”

Garcia, having previously sat on the fence regarding a fight against Benn, is now firmly on board with the idea and has never been more vocal about fighting the Englishman.

In the eyes of Benn, the actions of ‘King Ry’ don’t quite sit right with him.

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“It’s just mad to see,” the 29-year-old responded when asked about Garcia’s willingness to progress with negotiations all of a sudden.

“Oh, now you want the fight, you coward. Now you want the fight.

“Because you see me, I want the hardest of challenges. For me, I fought a two-time former world champion and it was a run-out fight.

“I didn’t have to take the fight; I could have waited to fight Ryan, but Ryan wasn’t vocal before that.

“Otherwise, I probably would have waited to fight him, but where was he? Ultimately, he’ll be in for a shock for his life.”

Having been a staple of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing over the years, Benn shocked the world when he originally signed a one-fight deal with rival promoter White worth $15million (£11m).

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“It was more to test the waters,” Benn said, explaining the decision behind a one-fight deal at first.

“You’ve got to remember this, I’ve been with the other promotional company my whole career.

“For me, it wasn’t an easy decision, so I just wanted to see how it operates and I was extremely blown away by the professionalism and how easy they were to work with, not just for me but for my team. 

“They surprised me, to be honest. So here I am now on a multi-fight deal and probably the last contract that I’ll sign in my career.”

Speaking on a live stream with NinaDrama at Power Slap 19, where former WWE champion Jake Hager scored a KO on his debut for the promotion, Benn added: “If [Garcia] wants it, he can get it.

“He wants to be vocal now; he can get it next in August.

“I think our styles would gel really well; we’re both big punchers. It would be explosive for the first half.”

Boxing schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s  boxing schedule.