Ryan Garcia didn't just beat Conor Benn on Saturday night. He embarrassed him, stopped him inside two rounds, and then immediately started calling out the next man. Business as usual for one of the sport's most exhausting and compelling figures.

Garcia dispatched Benn at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and barely paused for breath before turning his attention to WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who was watching from inside the arena. The message was simple: hand over the belt.

Garcia means business at 147

We said before this fight that [Garcia could be a class above](/uprise/boxing/nelson-benns-graduation-day-is-here-but-garcia-could-be). Turns out that was putting it mildly. Two rounds. That is all it took to settle what had been one of the more entertaining build-ups in recent memory, though the [build-up had its moments of genuine theatre](/uprise/boxing/benn-blasts-bottler-garcia-after-americans-no-show-at-face-off) when Benn had to carry most of the pre-fight heat on his own.

After defending the WBC welterweight title in such dominant fashion, Garcia wasted no time making his intentions clear. "I want to unify against Teofimo. I think that's the move," he said. "It's a huge fight and Teo's an entertaining dude and it's going to be a hell of a build-up and he's a good fighter too so let's run it."

Lopez has wins over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor on his record, was beaten by Shakur Stevenson earlier this year, and then bounced back by beating Rolando Romero. Romero, notably, beat Garcia last year. That gives this matchup some genuine texture.

Garcia was also careful to make clear that what we saw against Benn was not his ceiling. "I was just getting started in there. There's a lot of things that I've been working on," he said. "I have a lot of weapons in my arsenal that I didn't bring out yet."

That is either motivational theatre or a genuinely terrifying statement for the rest of the welterweight division. Possibly both.

On Benn

Garcia was gracious, in his own way, when asked about his opponent. He is not writing Benn off entirely, but he was clear about where the problem lies.

"He just needs to gain a little bit more experience. I don't think he has enough experience at this point," Garcia said. "You can't jump in like that. It's not the move. I think that he needs to be a little bit more patient."

He added: "He's an alright dude. I have a new level of respect for him. I hope he can come back and do great things in the sport."

It is hard to disagree with any of that. Benn came in swinging on reputation and ambition. The level was too high, too soon. That is not a death sentence for a career. It is a lesson.

Our take

The Lopez fight is the right call. Two world champions at welterweight, a ready-made rivalry, and Garcia arriving off the back of the most convincing performance of his career. If Garcia genuinely has more to show than what Benn saw, Lopez has been warned.

We will believe it is signed when we see it. But on the evidence of Saturday night, Garcia has earned the right to demand unification. Nobody in that division will fancy the phone call.