Conor Benn will never box at welterweight again, according to his trainer Tony Sims. That is the headline from Sims, who spoke to Sky Sports after Benn was dropped heavily and stopped on his feet in the second round of his WBC welterweight world title challenge against Ryan Garcia.
The fight ended quickly. Garcia won in two rounds, and Sims made his position clear immediately after the bout. “There’s no excuses,” Sims told Sky Sports. “It was tough doing the weight of course it was. He was never going to lie about that.”
The Weight Problem
Benn returned to 147lbs to face Garcia for the WBC welterweight world championship. Making the weight was difficult, and Sims acknowledged as much. “Without a shadow of a doubt. He done well making the weight but it wasn’t easy,” Sims said.
The training camp itself was solid, according to Sims. The sparring the week before went well, and Benn was in tune. But the outcome was not what anyone expected.
“He just got caught with a shot,” Sims said. “In world boxing, that’s what happens.”
What Sims Said About the Fight
Sims defended his fighter’s performance in the ring. “It was a fantastic shot that he [Benn] got caught with and he done well jumping up from it really,” Sims said.
He also questioned the timing of the stoppage. “I thought he done the right thing, Conor. He grabbed hold of him, held him and he was slipping and sliding on the ropes,” Sims said.
“I think the stoppage was a bit premature but the actual shot that nailed him was a great shot. It is what it is, you’re not going to make any excuses for that. It was just a shame a fight at that magnitude wasn’t allowed to go a little bit longer.”
The Money Argument
Sims argued that the Garcia fight was worth the risk despite the loss. “That magnitude of fight, that magnitude of money that was on the table, he wouldn’t have got that anywhere else, fighting anybody else,” Sims said.
“So sometimes you’ve got to take risks.”
The trainer’s logic is straightforward: Benn stepped up to face a top contender for a world title, and the financial stakes were high. That fight brought the kind of attention and reward that Benn would not have found elsewhere, and Sims presented the decision as one worth making even when the result did not go his way.
The Rest Period
Sims believes Benn needs time away from the sport. “I think he needs to have a rest from boxing completely at the moment,” Sims added.
“Don’t get me wrong, financially he’s set up for life but I think he’s burnt out as well at the same time, mentally and physically.”
The rest is not about avoiding Garcia. It is about the man himself. Sims sees Benn as someone who has given everything he had to give, both physically and mentally, and now needs space to recover before considering what comes next.
Eubank Jr and the Third Fight
The Benn-Eubank Jr rivalry is far from finished. The two fought twice at middleweight last year, with Benn losing the first bout and winning the second.
A deciding third contest could be held. Sims is confident it will happen eventually, regardless of the timeline.
“That fight’s always going to be there, whether it be a year’s time or 10 years’ time,” Sims said. “Because of the names together the fight will always be there.”
He added: “Whether Conor will want to do that or Chris will want to do that in the future, I don’t know but that fight will always be there. The two names will always be combined together.”
The Big Picture
Sims’s statements cover a wide range of topics. Here is what he addressed:
- The difficulty of making the weight at 147lbs
- His belief that Benn will never return to welterweight
- His defence of Benn’s performance in the ring
- His questioning of the stoppage timing
- The financial argument for taking the risk
- The need for Benn to rest
- The ongoing Benn-Eubank Jr rivalry
Each point supports the others without contradicting them. Sims’s confidence about the direction of Benn’s career does not depend on any single fight or decision. Whether Benn fights Eubank Jr again or moves up in weight, Sims sees a path forward that respects the toll this particular chapter took.
The Career Path Ahead
Benn has options. Moving up to middleweight or super-middleweight opens doors. The Eubank Jr fight remains available.
Sims is clear about the direction. He is equally clear about the need for rest.
Benn needs to step back, and Sims knows it.
It is what it is.
Source material: “Trainer: Benn will never fight at welterweight again,” Sky Sports.
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