“If his last name wasn’t Benn, you wouldn’t be anywhere near the level he’s on,” said Malignaggi on Froch on Fighting. “He’s been promoted well. He’s been moved well. I don’t think he’s a world class fighter, though. I don’t think his best performances were around that PED suspicion.
“He’s not looked good since. He looked bad against a corpse that was Regis Prograis at this point. A corpse version of Regis Prograis. I don’t even think he’s that good. Honestly, who’s his best win?”
Malignaggi went on to suggest that Benn has altered his style in an effort to silence those who questioned his punching power following the failed drug tests that sidelined his career.
“I look at Conor like he’s so determined to show everybody that he had power after the PED suspicions that he punches, he tries too hard to punch,” Malignaggi said.
“You can see it even in the last fight. He’s putting too much weight even on his jab. He’s trying so hard to show people, ‘No, I was really a natural puncher.’
“Mate, you weren’t. You’re not a puncher. By trying so hard to be a puncher when you’re not a puncher, you’re going to look worse. Just snap your punches out. Be the best boxer you can be.”
Asked what he expects to happen when Benn steps in against Ryan, Malignaggi offered a blunt prediction.
“He gets knocked out,” Malignaggi said. “Garcia is a big puncher, and he’s fast, and he sets up the power well. I think Conor Benn’s style is made for him.
“He’s not going to do the business. I’ll tell you that. He’s not going to win that fight.”
Benn is expected to face Ryan in September in one of the year’s biggest crossover attractions. While the bout promises significant commercial success, Malignaggi remains unconvinced that Benn possesses the world-class ability needed to upset the former WBC interim lightweight champion.
