Big Stakes: Garcia-Lopez looms if Garcia beats Benn 

By Norm Frauenheim

Skillset, a word straight out of a hardware store, is an old-school way of describing what a fighter possesses in terms of speed, power, footwork and all the other dimensions fundamental for success, if not survival. One word is missing: Maturity, called an intangible because it eludes any traditional measure.

But it’s there, the element that unifies the skills into a fighting force. Without it, yesterday’s prospect is nothing more than a bucket of bolts. 

With it, he might be Teofimo Lopez.

Or, maybe, Ryan Garcia.

Both are there, players in an unfolding story about a couple of fighters moving into their late twenties, grown up and maybe with a prime-time chance to make some welterweight history. Who knew? Just a few years ago, both looked as if their potential had been wasted, trashed by too much money and too much attention too early. 

Like the cliche says, growing up is hard to do, especially on a public stage amplified by today’s omnipresent social media.

Lopez, 29, has already displayed some surprising maturity from his whiny, man-child days of denial in the wake of a 2021 loss to George Kambosos. 

In beating longtime friend Rolly Romero a couple of weeks ago, he was disciplined in sustaining tactical pressure throughout 12 rounds, the first in a new four-fight deal with DAZN. There was calm and control. Through much of his career, there was always potential for chaos in his corner. This time, however, his volatile dad kept his cool on a night when it almost looked as if roles had been reversed. The son was parenting his father.

Now, it’s Garcia’s turn Sept. 12 against Conor Benn in a welterweight title defense at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena

For the last couple of years, fans and media have watched Garcia fight mostly to see which Garcia would show up. Will the crazed fighter chugging a beer on the scale before beating Devin Haney and testing positive for a PED after the April 2024 fight? Or the composed Garcia, now 28, who delivered a purposeful, solid decision over Mario Barrios in his last fight in February? 

Since the over-the-line behavior before and after Haney, there’s less of the shock-jock taunts and threats from Garcia on social media. He still talks trash. That’s  part of his personality, ever the showman. But it’s beginning to sound as if there’s more of a plot,  long-range plan. Like Lopez, Garcia has had to deal with defeat — Romero in 2025 at New York’s Times Square.

“From entertaining — creating content to being a great fighter — you’ve got to be able to do it all in this day,” a a business-like Garcia said Tuesday in media-day workout. “You’ve got to be the best at everything you do.

“If not, you’re going to be falling behind the wheel.”

 And, maybe, falling behind Teofimo Lopez.

For now, all things point to a Lopez-Garcia showdown, later this year or maybe early 2027. Each corner is talking about it. Mandatories and a lot more could get in the way. Benn could get in the way. 

But the momentum is building for a huge fight, Lopez-versus-Garcia, the only grown-up thing to do.