FRANK WARREN has revealed that St Mary’s Stadium is booked for June 2026, giving Ryan Garner even more of an incentive to remain in the win column.
‘The Piranha’ has always maintained that his ultimate ambition, even more than winning a world title, is to headline a show at the home of Southampton Football Club.
And now, it would appear that he is inching closer towards making that dream a reality, with Queensberry Promotions boss Warren having secured the grandest stage possible.
But Garner, 18-0 (9 KOs), of course, is also expected to deliver on his end of the bargain, as an interim fight – a must-win one, at that – is likely to take place before his mouth-watering opportunity comes to fruition next summer.
The 27-year-old’s last outing saw him systematically break down Reece Bellotti, claiming a dominant 12th-round stoppage victory, before coming away with the European, British and Commonwealth titles.
Prior to that, the Southampton Slickster had seized his EBU super-featherweight strap with an even more dominant display against Salvador Jimenez, a relatively little-known visitor, earlier this year.
On both of those occasions, Garner had headlined shows at the Bournemouth International Centre, a more modest venue that remains, at best, a 40-minute drive from his gaff.
But now, a local stadium, which boasts a total capacity of over 30,000, is the carrot that has been dangled ahead of his next assignment.
“We’ve booked it [St Mary’s Stadium], so he’s got to keep winning and he’ll get a world title fight – he’ll get his dream,” Warren told Boxing News.
In terms of potential world title fights, the obvious route would be for Garner, a fourth-ranked WBC contender, to chase a shot at the green and gold strap.
That belt is currently held by O’Shaquie Foster, who will face Stephen Fulton, the WBC champion at 126lbs, on October 25.
In the meantime, a date and opponent, and in fact a location, is yet to emerge for Garner’s next outing, which is expected to take place either later this year or early 2026.
