Ryan Garcia (26-2, 1 NC, 21 KOs) criticized Andre Ward’s broadcast commentary following his dominant second-round stoppage of Conor Benn, accusing the former world champion of focusing too heavily on his mistakes during the fight.
“Listening to the fight and watching it showed me that Andre Ward was intentionally looking for a negative thing to say, even in my good moments. I didn’t like his approach to my fight nor his comments. They were biased and a bit unprofessional, hater-like,” Garcia said.
Garcia dropped Benn with a right hand early in the second round before following up with a series of punches that prompted referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight at 1:25.
During the broadcast, Ward pointed out technical concerns with Garcia’s approach, including his movement, defensive positioning and energy expenditure. Ward and fellow commentator Max Kellerman also questioned whether the stoppage may have come slightly early.
Despite Garcia’s criticism of the commentary, the result was decisive, with Garcia successfully defending his WBC welterweight title against Benn.