At just 19 years old, a fresh-faced Ryan Garner outlined his dream to fight at St Mary’s Stadium, the home of Southampton Football Club.
Back then, it must have sounded like little more than a fantasy, the type of thing a young prospect might say to generate media attention.
For Garner, though, it was a dream he had visualised a thousand times over, knowing that one day he would be presented with an opportunity of such magnitude.
No one could convince him or his trainer, Wayne Batten, that this dream would not become a reality, and while there has been no shortage of bumps in the road, the pair are now gearing up for the occasion they have long been working towards.
Speaking with Boxing News, Garner made no attempt to hide his delight ahead of a WBC ‘interim’ super-featherweight title fight against Michael Magnesi, which takes place at St Mary’s on June 20.
“In 2017, I did my first interview here [at St Mary’s] with Trans World Sport. And here we are now.
“We’ve manifested it for years, so for it to actually happen is just a dream come true.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully making history and becoming Southampton’s first ever world champion. I know it’s an interim title, but it’s still a world title at the end of the day.”
While promoting his fight with Magnesi, Garner has revealed several glimpses of his footballing prowess.
Clearly a gifted athlete, it was only his aptitude for boxing, it seems, that stopped him from becoming a stylish winger at St Mary’s.
“I wasn’t too bad at football when I was younger – I’ll give myself that – but obviously I was better at fighting.
“I started off as a striker, then went into central midfield and ended up on the right wing.”
While he played for Southampton’s academy from U7s to U10s, it soon became apparent that Garner was most effective with his fists.
Now, the 28-year-old has arguably reached his athletic prime, looking to become the leading contender for O’Shaquie Foster’s WBC strap.
But while Magnesi represents a solid opponent, many felt WBA champion Anthony Cacace was the most likely dance partner, especially after Garner featured on his undercard in March.
There was, however, a clear lack of desire from Cacace, who would rather enhance his legacy with a potential unification showdown later this year.
“I don’t blame him. He’s getting older and is coming towards the end of his career, so he wants to unify and win more titles.
“I spoke to him in Ireland and he seems like a nice guy. At the end of the day, we’re just fighting for our families.
“It didn’t matter who the opponent was – the dream has always been to fight here [at St Mary’s].”
Magnesi is perhaps best known for giving a strong account of himself against Cacace, resulting in him losing a split decision in 2022.
From Garner’s perspective, though, there is no reason to adjust the approach that has seen him craft an impressive record of 19-0 (10 KOs).
“I’ve always been strong, mentally. Nothing really bothers me; nothing really fazes me. I don’t study my opponents; I just get in there and do my best work.”
Whether this will be enough to defeat Magnesi, it remains to be seen, but, either way, Garner expects to have between 15 and 20 thousand fans screaming his name.
