A BIG night of boxing awaits the South Coast as Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions brings a stacked card with local talent to the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in Dorset on March 1.
It will be the first time Queensberry has brought a card to Bournemouth, with an increasing market for cards in the seaside town becoming apparent since Ben Shalom hit the Vitality Stadium.
Ben Shalom brought boxing back to the South Coast due to Chris Billam-Smith on his roster. A childhood fan of the club, Billam-Smith won his world title at AFC Bournemouth’s stadium.
After Billam-Smith’s loss to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in Saudi Arabia, the draw to bring big boxing cards back to Bournemouth would seem to have dwindled as the likelihood of getting a crowd large enough to fill a stadium appeared unlikely. Queensberry have other ideas as they have swooped in on an opportunity to grow their stable along the South Coast.
The card will be headlined by Southampton’s very own Ryan ‘The Piranha’ Garner, who will fight for the vacant European super-featherweight belt over a 12-round contest.
Garner enters the contest undefeated in 16 bouts with a 50 per cent KO ratio. He will face the also undefeated Spaniard Salvador Jimenez. Jimenez has had 14 wins with one draw. This will be the first time Jimenez has boxed outside of Spain.
With Garner currently enjoying a stronger schedule, having fought for the WBC International super-featherweight title, he is expected to emerge victorious, moving one step closer to participating in world level fights.
Jimenez has completed the full 12 rounds on two separate occasions, never tasting the canvas, Garner could be the first to stop Jimenez. Garner will be facing an opponent listed at a height shorter than him for the first time in his career.
Coming off a win against Archie Sharp, who is listed three inches taller than ‘The Piranha’, I feel Garner will maintain his usual style of forward pressure with constant change in levels as he held a very high pace throughout the contest versus Sharp.
Lewie Edmondson is looking to defend his recently captured light-heavyweight Commonwealth title against Oluwatosin Kejawa. Edmondson has been chasing a fight with the notorious Ben Whittaker.
Kejawa has not fought any opponents of notable strength. The bout against Edmondson will be a big step up for him. In his one and only 10-round bout, he was knocked to the canvas in the second round.
Though Edmondson does not have a history of stopping opponents (recording just three KOs in 10 outings), his amateur experience and the 12-round ring experience against Dan Azeez leave him as a favourite to leave the ring unbeaten.
Having beaten Dan Azeez back in October last year, a win for Edmondson here could see him snare bigger fights in the future.
The card will also feature other South Coast talent, such as the highly touted super-featherweight Royston Barney-Smith and the flashy and entertaining Mace Ruegg. Both are undefeated.
The ‘Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce will return to the ring with his opponent yet to be confirmed. The 39-year-old will be looking to overcome his mixed form, dropping three losses in his previous four fights.
Another loss for Joyce could spell the end of his career. There had been some initial speculation towards his potential opponent being another Olympian in the form of Frazer Clarke.
Clarke is coming off a devastating loss in the first round to Fabio Wardley, to which he required immediate surgery on his cheekbone.
While that fight could come to fruition in the future, Joyce meets Germany’s ‘Big’ Patrick Korte here.
