“Yeah, it’s hard. It’s brutal. This is my last fight at 147,” Benn said to Ring Magazine. “When I win the world title, I’ll move on. But for me, yeah, I haven’t made 147 for four years. So, it’s challenging. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really hard. You think I went up to 183 for the Eubank fights, you know, so it’s hard, but we’re getting it done.”

Conor may simply be describing the reality of cutting weight after two fights with Chris Eubank Jr., but repeatedly emphasizing the difficulty gives him something to fall back on should Garcia defeat him.

Nobody is forcing Benn to return to welterweight. He accepted the fight because Garcia owns the WBC title he wants. If squeezing down to 147 leaves him weakened on September 12, Benn and his team knew the risk when they accepted the fight.

His comments become more interesting because of the confidence he showed elsewhere in the interview. Benn believes his dedication separates him from Ryan and has already stated that he expects to stop him.

That confidence does not completely fit with the amount of attention Benn is giving the weight cut. Beating Garcia after four years away from the division would make his performance more impressive. Losing leaves Benn with an explanation that has already been established before fight night.

Benn wants the championship badly enough to make the sacrifice. But if the move back to 147 backfires, he can’t use the weight cut to strip Ryan Garcia of his credit afterward.