'Just because you eat burritos and tacos' - Conor Benn makes brutal 'Mexican' claim about Ryan Garcia as he explains bad blood

Conor Benn didn't hold back when asked about the real reason behind his bad blood with fierce rival Ryan Garcia.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, British boxer Benn will have the chance to write his name in the history books and claim a world title for the first time in his career as he challenges current WBC welterweight champion Garcia.

Ahead of the bout, the pair have regularly clashed both online and during press conferences, and Benn has explained exactly why he thinks Garcia is so mad with him during an exclusive interview with SPORTbible.

Conor Benn explains exactly why Ryan Garcia is 'upset' ahead of title fight

Benn and Garcia's bad blood appears to date back to long before the fight was confirmed, after Garcia's rival fighter approached and grabbed him at an awards ceremony while Garcia’s wife was present.

Since then, the tension between the pair has only escalated with security forced to step in during encounters at Fanatics Fest in July 2026 and the pre-fight press conference.

However, as the centre of this feud is Benn's questioning of Garcia’s heritage, as the 28-year-old proudly discusses his Mexican-American identity.

But, according to Benn, Garcia's links to Mexico are simply performative, and the Brit calling this out is the real reason why the reigning WBC champion is so angry with his opponent.

"I think he's just upset that his people take to me more than him. I think that he's upset because he wants to be liked," Benn told SPORTbible.

"He wants to be this, he wants to be that. But, you know, I feel like he's just upset that I'm more Mexican than him. That's all I think it is, personally.

"Just because you eat burritos and tacos, it doesn’t make you Mexican."

With the fight set to take place on Mexican Independence Day weekend, it's clear that Garcia's heritage will continue to be a topic of discussion that will no doubt come to a head when the pair finally meet in the ring on Sunday morning in Las Vegas.

Conor Benn challenges for a world title for the first time of his career this weekend. (Image: Getty)

Conor Benn tells fans what to expect in Ryan Garcia bout

And that's not all fans should expect, as Benn has explained exactly what he plans to do when the bell signalling the first round sounds in the T-Mobile Arena this weekend.

"If you've ever watched me fight, you know that all my fights are straight to the business, straight to work. So I'm going to go straight to work," he claimed.

"It's 36 minutes for the rest of your life. 36 minutes. Imagine if I said to you, you've got 36 minutes for the rest of your life to get it right.

With the fight being the first of Benn's career for a world title, the Brit will likely have never faced such pressure heading into a fight week as he has in recent days.

Add the fact that his father, legendary British boxer Nigel Benn, also held a WBC title during his storied career, and you'd forgive Benn for feeling the tension.

But, he's assured fans that this only serves to drive him further.

"It's a hard one, because I've had pressure my whole career. I've had pressure in two Eubank fights, two stadium shows with a lot on the line, my family name on the line.

"You know, there’s always pressure there has to be, but pressure is a privilege."

Garcia and Benn are scheduled to make their ringwalks at the at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, at around 04:00am BST.

Watch Conor Benn face Ryan Garcia live this Saturday, September 12 in the United States on Paramount+ and in the U.K. & Ireland via DAZN pay-per-view or a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.