‘He Knocks Him Out,’ Paulie Malignaggi’s Reason for Picking the ‘Streamer’ in Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

Ryan Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) will soon defend his WBC welterweight title against mandatory challenger Conor Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While fans are divided on who they’d pick, former boxer Paulie Malignaggi sure knows who he’s picking.

Talking to Fight Hub TV, Malignaggi wasted no time in revealing who he thinks would be a sure-shot winner on fight night.

“I think he knocks him out. Conor’s a tough kid. He’s not good, though, and so I don’t see how he avoids eventually getting knocked out. Ryan’s not the kind of guy who will assault you, but he will put hands on you, and he’ll hit you with a sneaky shot you don’t see because he’s got that kind of speed,” he said.

According to Malignaggi, the matchup plays directly into Garcia’s biggest strengths. He sees a significant gap in speed and technical foundation, arguing that Garcia has the amateur pedigree and natural skills of a genuine world-class fighter, whereas Benn is more limited and has not shown enough against elite opposition.

The biggest factor for Malignaggi is Garcia’s hand speed. He doesn’t expect him to overwhelm Benn with constant pressure; instead, he can pick him apart with fast, unexpected punches. He specifically believes Garcia can land shots that Benn doesn’t see coming, which could eventually lead to a stoppage. He also thinks Benn’s attempts to prove that he is a devastating puncher have actually hurt his performances, because Benn is putting too much weight behind his punches instead of simply boxing naturally.

“Conor just doesn’t have the skills to be in there. He doesn’t hit hard enough. He wants to hit hard enough, but I’ll say it, bro. Ever since the whole steroid scandal and whatnot, yeah, I know he was cleared, but the guy wasn’t hitting hard before that, and he hasn’t been hitting hard after that. So, it’s kind of self-explanatory in some ways, right, if you really want to generate a pretty strong opinion of that,” he said. “Ryan, streamer and all, is still a kid with about 200 amateur fights and is world class. If he’s motivated, he can fight, and he can punch.”

“I’m Not With…”

Meanwhile, Jermall Charlo also seemed to have made up his mind on who he wants to see as the winner on September 12.

“I am a Ryan fan; I am not with Conor Benn, but that is going to be a good fight; it’s going to be a crazy fight. I will be there for that too,” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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