Garcia Reveals Post-Fight Brawl With Friend After Benn KO

Ryan Garcia damaged his hand more in a bareknuckle hotel room brawl with a friend than he did knocking out Conor Benn.

The WBC welterweight champion told Ariel Helwani that he hurt his right hand the day after stopping Benn in the second round at Zuffa Boxing on September 12 in Las Vegas. The injury came during what Garcia described as a spontaneous fight with someone he knew. "I hurt my hand more-so fighting someone on Sunday night. The homie wanted that work, I still had energy so I said let's get it," Garcia said on The Ariel Helwani Show, per MMA Mania. "We just started brawling in the room. He wanted that work so I gave it to him, bareknuckle."

Garcia's Hand Shows Bruising From Hotel Fight

Garcia showed off bruised knuckles during the interview and confirmed the other person is not a professional boxer. He characterized the encounter as his friend wanting the smoke and getting it. Whether the incident was playful sparring between friends or something more serious remains unclear, though Garcia presented it as the former.

Garcia is now eyeing WBA welterweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez as his next opponent. A win over Lopez would further cement his status as one of boxing's biggest draws following his second-round demolition of Benn, which saw him land a massive right hand that ended the fight early.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Ryan Garcia suffered more damage in post-fight bareknuckle brawl with friend than in Conor Benn fight