LAS VEGAS – Calm down. That was Conor Benn's message to the fans worrying he might not make weight.
For the past two weeks, there's been growing concern from fans and pundits surrounding Benn's ability to hit the contracted limit for his WBC welterweight title fight against Ryan Garcia this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena (Paramount+). The English boxer is expected to register at 147 pounds or less on the scale Friday morning – a weight he hasn't made since his second-round finish of Chris van Heerden in April 2022.
Benn assures he will meet his commitment, but revealed the process hasn't been easy.
"Of course it's a gamble, but is that not what makes it fun?," Benn told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's media day when asked about his cut.
"The risk, the challenge. It's exciting. A lot of people said I couldn't make the weight. Watch me do it. It's been four and a half years since I made it, and it does feel like I've been through the pits of hell. When I mean 'pits of hell,' I've had a fight with Satan, and God brought me back to life. That's how it feels making this weight, but ultimately I've done it, and that's it."
Benn has gone through extreme measures to 147 pounds. This training camp has been gruelling and long, but he expects it to pay off in the form of victory.
"About 15 weeks of dieting," Benn said. "You have to think, I was walking at 185 pounds for the Eubank fight, and I was solid. I felt good. I felt strong. But when an opportunity like this comes up, and you have the magnitude of the event, and you're fighting for the world title in Vegas, headlining, what can I do? Say no?"
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor Benn gone through 'pits of hell' in weight cut for Ryan Garcia boxing fight
