Shakur Stevenson has weighed in with his prediction for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.
Stevenson will be an interested spectator when Garcia defends his WBC welterweight world title against Benn on September 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Newark man has been heavily linked with both men and admits he’s siding with ‘King Ry’ to overcome the Brit.
“It’s a cool fight,” the 29-year-old said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I think Ryan should win, because he’s experienced, but it’s a good fight.
“I think Ryan should win that pretty easily.
“I don’t think this should be a hard fight for Ryan, but you never know who shows up with Ryan.
“The guy that fought against Rolly [Romero], Conor Benn might get in there and scare him and put him in his place, so we’ll see.”
Stevenson was ringside for Garcia’s victory over Mario Barrios in February, which saw him capture a maiden world title.
The undefeated southpaw called out Benn in January following his victory over Teofimo Lopez, which saw him become a four-weight world champion.
The 29-year-old joined ‘The Destroyer’ by signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing and says he reached out to his promotional stablemate directly over a potential fight.
“That was a fight that I wanted, but Conor Benn has got other plans,” he added.
“I mean, if you think about it, he probably feels as though he has got a better chance beating Ryan Garcia than me, so I understand it.
“I talked to him not too long ago, because he was afraid that the Ryan Garcia fight wasn’t going to happen.
“So I told him, ‘if it don’t, I’ll step in.’
“I told Conor Benn himself to keep me updated.”
Benn challenges for his first world title in his first bout at 147 pounds in over four years.
The 29-year-old overcame Regis Prograis in April at a 150 pound catchweight, after two fights with Chris Eubank Jr at 160 pounds.
