Garcia vs Benn: Who Will the Mexicans be Cheering?
· Yahoo Sports
Mexican fans are the lifeblood of boxing in the Americas. Having them on his side clearly means a lot to Ryan Garcia. That's why Conor Benn has been goading him by calling him a fake Mexican. But is riling up Garcia a good idea?
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Garcia is a fighter who thrives on chaos and emotion. When he fought Rolly Romero in a slow-paced, technical fight, he seemed listless. No amount of exhortation from Derrick James in his corner could persuade him to let his hands go. His famous "rocket" left hook was conspicuous by its absence.
If it's emotion he needs, then Benn might just be the perfect opponent for him. The Brit fights with his heart on his sleeve and is unlikely to be content to just steal points here and there like Romero was. Benn's all-action style could play straight into the champion's hands.
I have a feeling that the Mexican fans will warm to Benn. He has a no-nonsense, come-forward style that looks "Mexican". By contrast, Garcia's upright, fleet-of-foot, somewhat flashy style is more associated with US boxing.
Garcia likes to court the Mexican fans but he doesn't speak Spanish. Benn speaks fluent Spanish, having been raised on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Unlike Garcia, Conor doesn't claim to be Hispanic. But he says that growing up around Spanish people gave him a deep appreciation of Latin culture.
Benn has seemed more composed in the build-up. He responds to Garcia's insults with a wry smile. Garcia is profanely dismissive of Conor. He thinks he'll be dead at the weight, and even if he isn't, the gulf in class is massively in his favour.
Benn says he's ready for a fight of this magnitude because he's boxed in front of huge stadium audiences. But those fights were not for world titles, and the opponents were nowhere near the calibre of Garcia. On paper, Benn is seriously out of his depth.
But Benn has a confidence that's hard to ignore. It's like he knows something we don't. It reminds me a little of his father's demeanour before he stepped in as a huge underdog against the monstrous Gerald McClellan.
I was ringside for that savage encounter, and I watched Benn Senior refuse to lie down against a man who was beating the hell out of him. He weathered the early storm, and slowly, clawed his way back into the fight and broke the G-Man's heart. The tragic ending of that match should not forbid us from praising Nigel Benn's titanic performance that night.
I think Conor has that same steel in him. He's not as good as Garcia but his will is almost frighteningly strong. I'll make my final prediction tomorrow but I think you can see which way I'm leaning.