Paulie Malignaggi is expecting a clear knockout victory in the upcoming world title clash between Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia.
Benn is fighting down at 147lbs for the first time since 2022, which could be a huge factor going into this contest. He has been as high as 160lbs twice for his fights with Chris Eubank Jr – the first of which he lost on the cards, and the second six months later he won with a wide points decision of his own.
Since then he has come down to 150lbs for a catchweight contest with former champion Regis Prograis but failed to knock him out despite the American looking tired for much of the contest.
Garcia is the WBC champion with lightning-fast hands and has shared the ring with top operators such as Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney, while he won his world title off Mario Barrios earlier in the year on points.
Speaking with Pro Boxing Fans, Malignaggi explained why he thinks this contest is only going one way.
“Ryan knocks him out. The fight doesn’t go six rounds, in my opinion. [There’s a] disparity in skill; disparity in power. I don’t think Conor Benn’s that good.
“[Whereas] Ryan Garcia’s a very good fighter when he’s motivated. This fight is an opportunity for him to make a statement, because he’s fighting a guy who’s got a big name but also a guy who probably doesn’t belong in the ring with him.”
Malignaggi is not the only one with this view, as former undisputed lightweight ruler Josh Taylor also thinks Benn has his work cut out, with few people in the boxing world picking Benn for the win.
