Ryan Garcia offered no excuses or apologies when asked why he skipped a scheduled face-off with Conor Benn Tuesday, Sept. 8 ahead of their welterweight title fight Saturday in Las Vegas.
“I wasn’t there because I didn’t want to be," Garcia, 28, said during a media event on Wednesday, Sept. 9. “I mean, look it, we got a face-off at the press conference (Thursday), then at the weigh-ins (Friday) and then a final face-off literally in the ring when the refs give you instructions.
“I’ve been doing this for so long. I’ve had fight weeks in Vegas before and I’ve never had to do a face-off on (Tuesday). … So I have a routine to do, and it’s just something I didn’t want to do.’’
Garcia did not explain why he apparently failed to inform Benn he could not be
coming. Media had gathered for the event, and Benn looked irritated upon discovering Garcia wasn’t there.
“It was funny seeing him staring at himself,’’ Garcia said.
On Tuesday, in a post on his Instagram story that appeared to show someone playing video games, Garcia wrote, “Nice relaxing time as Conor wastes time showing up to a face off,’’ followed by crying laughing emojis.
Garcia also took a shot at Benn’s struggle to drop weight and get down to the 147-pound maximum in time for Friday's weigh-in.
“Ultimately it's disrespectful to the public because the public deserve it,’’ Benn, 29, said Wednesday of Garcia’s missing Tuesday's face-off. “The public deserves us giving you guys the best. This is what we do. This is what we're here for.’’
Ultimately, the men are in Las Vegas to fight.
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) will be defending his WBC world welterweight title for the first time. Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) will be challenging for a world title for the first time.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Garcia explains skipping scheduled face-off with Conor Benn
