Conor Benn insists Ryan Garcia fight isn’t personal, still wants to ‘punch his head in’

Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia had an intense faceoff at a recent press event, but there isn’t necessarily bad blood.

Dana White announced Zuffa Boxing’s biggest bout to date between Garcia, who is the reigning WBC welterweight champion, and Benn. The bout is scheduled for Sept. 12, and it’ll be held inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “KingRy” and “The Destroyer” shared the stage for Saturday’s presser at Fanatics Fest in New York City.

Things got testy between Garcia and Benn, and the two had to be separated. Despite the intensity, Benn told MMAFighting.com that he doesn’t share the same animosity for Garcia that he did for Chris Eubank Jr.

“A lot less personal,” Benn admitted. “A lot less spite involved. I think Ryan is what Ryan is. With Eubank, it was a lot more personal. There was family feud. There was generational family feud. It was the bragging rights of the family name.”

Benn doesn’t want to be mistaken, however. In the heat of the moment during this weekend’s brouhaha, Benn said he still wanted throw down with Garcia in the “Big Apple.”

“Oh, I wanted to punch his head in, for sure,” Benn said. “I wanted to punch his head in. I would have had it there and then with him. I’m not worried about nothing with Ryan. I ain’t scared about nothing. What’s there to be scared about? He’s a spoiled brat and he carries on like a little child, throwing his toys out the pram, having social media tantrums. You think I’m worried about him? I’ve just gone up to middleweight and had Fight of the Year. You think I’m worried about Ryan, a lightweight? Not at all.”

The Sept. 12 showdown with Garcia is a significant opportunity for Benn, as it will be his first shot at a world title. The championship bout will take place just over two weeks shy of Benn’s 30th birthday.

Do you think Conor Benn has a good chance at dethroning Ryan Garcia, or will “KingRy” retain his gold in “Sin City?” Leave your predictions in the comments below.