Conor Benns weight cut raises questions

Conor Benn faces a major weight cut before his fight with Ryan Garcia

Conor Benn shared a video on social media showing him weighing 157.8 pounds (71.6 kg), which was 10.8 (4.9) over the welterweight limit. He still has 21 days until his fight against WBC world champion Ryan Garcia, during which time he can continue to cut weight.

Achieving that weight shouldn’t actually be the main problem. Conor Benn still has three weeks left, and his training schedule will surely already be well-structured in advance. However, the question of his physical condition after the cut is much more pressing than whether he’ll make weight.

In the video, he already looks pretty lean, yet still muscular. He doesn’t have much body fat left to draw from. He’ll likely lose the remaining kilos mainly through water weight.

After the weigh-in, Conor Benn will gain weight again, which means he’ll step into the ring heavier. However, that doesn’t mean his body has fully recovered. When you refuel after a cut, you can quickly feel sluggish, and that affects your stamina and speed.

And that’s exactly the problem against Ryan Garcia. You have to apply pressure and keep the pace high; otherwise, things look bad for you. If Ryan Garcia is also in better shape at the weigh-in, Conor Benn’s actual strength advantage could be further diminished. So it'll be interesting to see how Conor Benn looks at the weigh-in, but what really matters is how he performs on September 12 and whether he can force Ryan Garcia into an awkward position.

If he does it smartly and really takes it step by step, it shouldn't have much of an impact on Conor Benn. However, he mustn't rush anything or try to lose too much weight too quickly, or else his performance will be seriously jeopardized.