RYAN GARNER produced a clinical performance to claim the European super-featherweight title with a wide unanimous decision victory over little-known opponent Salvador Jimenez.
The pair squared off at the Bournemouth International Centre, England, with Garner’s Southampton supporters maintaining an electric atmosphere from start to finish.
Despite an aggressive start from Jimenez, 14-1-1 (6 KOs), it was ‘The Piranha’ who established his control early doors, catching the Spaniard with a series of clean combinations in the second round.
Soon enough, the Brit’s footwork proved too polished for the 29-year-old, who was made to miss with winging shots when lunging into range.
But while he enjoyed ample success when boxing on the outside, Garner, 17-0 (8 KOs), for the most part, opted to trade with his opponent in the pocket, much to the delight of his adoring fans.
By the fifth round, the 27-year-old was ruthlessly dishing out a punishing beatdown, stepping around Jimenez to create plenty of angles for his blistering attacks.
The next few rounds then told a similar story, with Jimenez, to his credit, demonstrating a tremendous chin while boxing passively on the outside.
There were no surprises, therefore, when all three judges made Garner the winner by a considerable margin, producing scorecards of 120-108.
Before that, a lacklustre co-main event saw British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson claim a unanimous decision victory over Oluwatosin Kejawa, with scorecards of 118-110, 119-109 and 120-110 swinging in his favour.
Adopting a measured approach to the opening round, Edmondson, 11-0 (3 KOs), snuck a long right hand over the top of his spearing jab to momentarily stun Kejawa, 11-1 (5 KOs).
Aside from that, though, the fight delivered very little by way of excitement, with ‘The Saint’ keeping his opponent on the receiving end of an authoritative lead hand.
The lack of action in the ring saw the emergence of several crowd fights, too, as Bournemouth and Southampton fans drunkenly collided in the stands.
No supporter, however, could take their eyes off the card’s first televised bout.
It was Liam Dillon, as it happened, who handed Bournemouth’s Mace Ruegg his first professional blemish after edging a fiercely contested split decision.
The pair engaged in a fiery 10-round affair, with Ruegg, 12-0, slipping and sliding like a bar of soap as Dillon, 15-2-1 (3 KOs), kept digging away to his body.
In the end, the former British champion’s relentless pressure swung two 96-94 scorecards in his favour, while judge Terry O’Connor produced a truly baffling card of 98-92 for Ruegg.
After that, routine performances from Charles Frankham, 8-0 (2 KOs), and Luke McCormack, 3-0 (3 KOs), saw the pair extend their unbeaten records with comprehensive victories on points.
And sandwiched in between the two prospects was a third-round stoppage win for Karol Itauma, 13-0 (8 KOs), with the 24-year-old producing an emphatic display in his first outing under the tutelage of Shane McGuigan.
