Ryan Garcia impressively defends WBC welterweight title with 2nd-round TKO of Conor Benn

LAS VEGAS — After taking 10 years to win his first world championship, Ryan Garcia needed only 4:25 to finish off Conor Benn on Saturday night in the first defense of his WBC welterweight title.

“I kind of figured he would just come at me crazy,” Garcia said, explaining what he expected of his challenger. “Second round, I said I’m tired of him coming forward; I’m gonna stand my ground a little bit … and then he got caught with a hellacious one.”

Garcia’s sharp right hand to the jaw put Benn on the canvas early in the second round. Moments later, with the Englishman on the ropes, Garcia (26-2, 21 KOs) served a flurry of punches that prompted referee Thomas Taylor to step in and end the contest at the 1:25 mark and send the announced sold-out crowd of 18,855 into a frenzy.

”He’s exactly what I thought he was; he went in and tried to fight me. I think he needs to be a little bit more patient,” Garcia added. “I don’t think he has enough experience. I think he will be back. I have a new level of respect for him.”

Garcia closed -300 at BetMGM, meaning…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business