"If You Go Swimming, You Get Wet": Benn Shrugs Off the Garcia KO as His Trainer Calls a Timeout

Tags: SOCIAL BEEF (aftermath) · WHO'S NEXT · REPORTED Rumor-Meter:

• Benn done at 147: 🔥 HOT. Benn and his trainer both say so.
• Benn back soon: ❄️ COLD. His trainer says he needs a complete rest.
• A 2027 Eubank Jr. trilogy at 168: 🌡️ WARM. His manager has a tentative plan; nothing set.

Ringcard says ROUND TWO, which is exactly where it ended. On Sept 12 at T-Mobile Arena, Ryan Garcia dropped Conor Benn with a right hand and forced the stoppage at 1:25 of the second round to keep his WBC welterweight title (UFC.com official results). A month later, Benn has finally explained what happened.

Benn: "you bounce back"

To Seconds Out, via Boxing News (Oct 12):

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"If you go swimming, you get wet, you pay the price. No problem, you bounce back. It's life, it happens."

And on why it went wrong so fast:

"I can't fight at the weight, I can't make the weight."

Boxing News reports he's moving up to middleweight or super-middleweight. Manager Keith Connolly has a tentative plan of one fight at middleweight before revisiting the Eubank rivalry.

The corner calls a timeout

Trainer Tony Sims told Sky Sports, via The Ring:

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"I don't think you'll see Conor talking much about boxing for a little while yet."

"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."

He told Total Boxing with Tris Dixon the same thing, via Seconds Out (Oct 11):

"That's his decision; it's not my decision what he does next, it's totally up to him but he needs to have some time away from boxing for a while and gather his thoughts and what he does next."

That's a coach looking out for his fighter, and we'll leave it right there. Rest up, Conor. 🙏

Paulie called it

Back in July, before the fight, Paulie Malignaggi told ProBox TV, via Boxing News:

"I think ultimately nobody is going to talk about how this is a mismatch. Only people on the inside know this fight is a mismatch… I don't think it's that great of a fight."

He also told iFL TV, via Boxing247:

"I think he knocks out Conor Benn."

Two rounds later, Paulie gets to sit back and say nothing. 😏 (Fair's fair: he was punching at a prediction, and the result backed him up.)

Who's next?

• Benn: a break first, then middleweight, then possibly Eubank Jr. III at 168. Sims says that fight "will always be there," per Sky Sports.
• Garcia: called for Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney from the ring, per UFC.com. See our Dream Match draft on Teofimo vs Garcia.

🗳️ Fight Predictions poll

What's Conor Benn's next move?

• One fight at 160, then Eubank Jr. III
• Straight to Eubank Jr. III at 168
• A long break, back in 2027 or later
• Retires happy

Bonus: Eubank Jr. vs Benn III at 168: who wins?

You didn't hear it from me… 🤫

Sources

• Boxing News (Tom Eaton), Benn to Seconds Out, Oct 12, 2026
• UFC.com official results, Sep 13, 2026
• The Ring (John Evans), Sims to Sky Sports
• Sky Sports (John Dennen), Sep 28, 2026
• Seconds Out (Kristan Caryl), Sims to Total Boxing, Oct 11, 2026
• Boxing News, Malignaggi to ProBox TV, Jul 23, 2026
• Boxing247, Malignaggi to iFL TV, Aug 7, 2026