In the city famous for gambling, Conor Benn bet big on himself but went bust.
The British fighter arrived into Las Vegas this week talking up his chances despite the odds being massively stacked against him in the home of taking a punt.
Ryan Garcia made him eat his words after he made him swallow a sensational right hand which set up the victory in the second round of their WBC welterweight title fight.
The 29-year-old Benn was in his 27th outing but his first world title fight, and it looked like it.
“Not my night, no excuses,” Benn posted on social media site X after he was taken to hospital as a precaution.
The harsh reality is, it was never going to be Benn’s night as he was out of his depth on paper beforehand and then outclassed in the ring.
Against a much more furnished fighter, Benn was reckless with his aggression. The tactics were obviously to rush Garcia but, even though the bout only last four minutes and 25 seconds, the gulf in class couldn’t have been more evident.
The finish was fantastic but Benn left his chin exposed and Garcia was ruthless in his execution.
From there, it was over despite Benn beating the count. Garcia pinned him to the ropes and it needed referee Thomas Taylor to spare the British fighter from more punishment.
For the proceeding four minutes and 25 seconds, Benn was peppered with Garcia’s famous left hook which had the son of former world champion Nigel stumbling backwards at times.
Benn failed to cut the ring off and that allowed Garcia to box and move brilliantly without the distance between them being closed down enough times for the challenger to cause any damage on the inside.
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The atmosphere inside the T-Mobile Arena was electric. Garcia had lit it up with an amazing ringwalk drenched in Mexican flavour on a celebration of the country’s independence.
They were all out of their seats in the packed arena when the finish came and Garcia extended his record to 26 victories and two defeats. This was his first world title defence and he delivered in style. He said beforehand he wants to be ‘the new face of boxing’ and performances like this will only help that lofty ambition.
On the contrary, Benn faces a massive rebuilding job. For years he promised that he was on the level of elite fighters like Garcia but this exposed that as a myth.
What now? This was his second career defeat in 27 outings. The other was in the first meeting with Chris Eubank Jr, who quickly took to social media to mock Benn after this defeat, last year.
Benn avenged that loss in a rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which tied it at 1-1 and got the first victory for his family against a Eubank. His father Nigel famously drew with Chris Eubank Sr in a rematch after losing their first meeting back in the 1990s.
The Essex-based boxer has said he is moving back up to 160lbs or even 168lbs after this because it was a struggle to make the welterweight limit. Eubank Jr was weight drained by getting back to middleweight for their two fights and restricted in rehydration.
The Brighton boxer was here in Las Vegas to watch his rival lose and could be open to a trilogy fight next year at super-middleweight if Benn’s bold claim to move up to that division is not a bluff.
Who would finance such an event given the purses they received for the first two bouts thanks to Saudi Arabia bankrolling them is another question?
The appetite may not be the same given the second meeting was a tougher sell at the box office. A third could really test the interest in the classic family rivalry.
Can Benn ever get back into a world title fight? At a heavier weight it seems unfathomable at this point. But there have been moments in his career when even getting to this world title fight looked unlikely so it can’t be definitely ruled out.
However, Benn’s development was disrupted not only by his drug test issue in 2022, before a cancelled Eubank Jr fight, but also his failure to progress correctly through the ranks.
Maybe because of his name or his ability, title fights were not taken at crucial junctions of his career. Fighters often win at least one or more of English, Commonwealth, British or European belts but Benn has never contested any of them.
Those could have been valuable learning bouts. At 29, is it too late for him to do that education?
With Zuffa Boxing and his high purses, it is unlikely he will be offered lower-level bouts further down cards to slowly grow.
“I hope he can come back and do great things,” said Garcia afterwards.
The road may be long after this brutal defeat. Benn came to Las Vegas to upset the odds and failed but he will have to do so in the future if he is to ever reach the top.
