LONDON — Conor Benn will never box at welterweight again after his second-round defeat to Ryan Garcia for the WBC welterweight world championship, trainer Tony Sims has confirmed. Benn returned to 147lbs to challenge Garcia and was dropped heavily before being stopped on his feet in the second round.
"There's no excuses," Sims told Sky Sports. "It was tough doing the weight of course it was. He was never going to lie about that. But he did have a good camp, the sparring the week before went really well, he was in tune, listen he just got caught with a shot. In world boxing, that's what happens." Sims was unequivocal about the future at the weight: "Without a shadow of a doubt. He done well making the weight but it wasn't easy."
"But that magnitude of fight, that magnitude of money that was on the table, he wouldn't have got that anywhere else, fighting anybody else. So sometimes you've got to take risks," Sims said. He was surprised by the timing of the stoppage and felt Benn had recovered after the knockdown. "It was a fantastic shot that he got caught with and he done well jumping up from it really," Sims said. "I thought he done the right thing, Conor. He grabbed hold of him, held him and he was slipping and sliding on the ropes. I think the stoppage was a bit premature but the actual shot that nailed him was a great shot. It is what it is, you're not going to make any excuses for that. It was just a shame a fight at that magnitude wasn't allowed to go a little bit longer."
A move to middleweight or super-middleweight could now pave the way for a third fight with Chris Eubank Jr. The sons of great rivals Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank boxed twice at middleweight last year, with Benn losing the first bout and winning the second. "That fight's always going to be there, whether it be a year's time or 10 years' time. Because of the names together the fight will always be there," Sims said. "Whether Conor will want to do that or Chris will want to do that in the future, I don't know but that fight will always be there. The two names will always be combined together."
Sims said Benn will now take a complete break from the sport. "I don't think you'll see Conor talking much about boxing for a little while yet," he said. "I think he needs to have a rest from boxing completely at the moment. Don't get me wrong, financially he's set up for life but I think he's burnt out as well at the same time, mentally and physically."