Ryan Garcia Wants Teofimo Lopez Unification After Benn Win
Ryan Garcia said Teofimo Lopez is the fight he wants next after stopping Conor Benn in two rounds. The WBC welterweight champion made the unification call at the Zuffa Boxing post-fight press conference in Las Vegas.
Garcia retained his title Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. He dropped Benn with a right hand and forced a stoppage at 1:25 of the second round.
A reporter noted that Lopez was not allowed into the ring after the knockout. The same question listed Devin Haney, Terence Crawford, and a possible Cinco de Mayo doubleheader.
Garcia did not shop the room. He named one opponent.
“I want to unify against Teofimo,” Garcia said. “I think that’s the move.”
Lopez holds the WBA Super welterweight title after a majority decision over Rolando Romero on Aug. 22. That win made him a three-division champion and put a second 147-pound belt in play.
Garcia called the matchup a big fight with a built-in crowd. He said Lopez would help sell the weeks before they share a ring.
“It’s a huge fight, and Tayo’s an entertaining dude,” Garcia said. “And it’s gonna be a hell of a build-up, and he’s a good fighter too, so let’s run it.”
The callout started in the ring, not at the podium. Garcia shouted for Lopez after the stoppage and security held the WBA champion back.
Dana White later said Zuffa was not going to let another fighter climb in for a fight that is not booked. White said David Benavidez was allowed in earlier only because Jai Opetaia invited the exchange.
Lopez had already pointed at this date. After beating Romero, he said he wanted the winner of Garcia vs. Benn or a unification with IBF champion Liam Paro.
The welterweight picture is crowded. Garcia has the WBC belt, Lopez the WBA title, Haney the WBO championship, and Paro the IBF strap.
Garcia also called out Haney from the ring Saturday. He did not put Haney or Crawford ahead of Lopez when asked what he wants next.
The Haney history is unfinished business, not a new idea. Their 2024 fight was changed to a no-contest after Garcia failed a drug test.
Lopez is the cleaner two-belt path at 147. Both men are already in the division, and both have asked for the winner of the other’s last fight.
Garcia improved to 26-2 with one no-contest. It was his first knockout since Oscar Duarte in December 2023 and his first defense of the belt he won from Mario Barrios in February.
Benn fell to 25-2 in his first world title shot. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the loss.
The reporter also asked about sharing a card with Benavidez and Opetaia. Those two agreed in the ring to meet on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027.
Garcia did not shut that idea down. He started to answer that a four-man card could work before the clip cut off.
No date or contract for Garcia-Lopez has been announced. White has said Garcia still has one fight left on his Golden Boy deal.
Lopez also has a WBA mandatory picture that includes Jack Catterall. His manager has said a unification with the Garcia-Benn winner could come first.
That is the next negotiation, not a signed fight. Garcia made his preference clear after the biggest win of his title reign.
He wants Lopez. He wants the belts in the same ring, and he wants the buildup that comes with two loud champions at welterweight.