IT is no secret that Ryan Garner has turned his life around, transforming himself from an ill-disciplined youngster into a promising contender.
That process, in part, can be explained by the influence of the 27-year-old’s family, particularly his two daughters, who forced him to adopt a drastically different outlook.
But equally, his long-term trainer, Wayne Batten, has remained by his side through thick and thin, even when it seemed that Garner’s career could quite easily fall by the wayside.
Back then, a series of foolish decisions, culminating in him crashing his brother’s car, resulted in the Southampton man suffering a lengthy suspension from the British Boxing Board of Control at just 19 years of age.
But since then, the European super-featherweight champion has regrouped, matured, and is now not a million miles away from a world title shot.
“I’m really proud of Ryan, and it’s taken a lot for him to be in this position,” Batten told Boxing News. “He’s had to be really mentally strong to get through those situations.
“He turned pro at 18 [years old] and, when you’re young, you’re not quite mentally aware of how things work. But as he’s gotten older, it’s as if the penny’s dropped. He now understands what it takes.
“There were points where I thought that it wasn’t going to happen for him, and that he wouldn’t come good, but I’ve been proven wrong. It’s been nice to see him grow into a man.”
The pair have, indeed, cultivated a strong relationship over the years, with Garner, 17-0 (8 KOs), often introducing his own ideas whenever Batten takes him on the pads.
But while there will always be a game plan that underpins each training camp, Batten equally acknowledges that his fighter, at times, will be expected to make adjustments on the fly.
And that, perhaps unsurprisingly, is something which he anticipates from Garner’s performance later this evening, when ‘The Piranha’ takes on British and Commonwealth champion Reece Bellotti at the Bournemouth International Centre, England.
“There could be moments where he’s got to dig deep [against Bellotti], but Ryan’s not just a come-forward, aggressive fighter; he can box as well, so he’s just got to maintain that discipline,” Batten said.
“Reece has changed his style over the years, but you never know exactly how [each opponent] is going to approach the fight. We’ll just need to make the right adjustments at the right times.”
Beyond this next fight – which, of course, is no walkover – Garner is likely to put himself in a far stronger position to challenge for a major belt.
Already, the crafty technician is ranked number-seven with the WBC, and a victory over Bellotti would only take him one step closer towards his dream of a world title fight at St Mary’s Stadium – the home of Southampton Football Club.
Quite naturally, Batten believes that Garner will not only secure that opportunity, but take it with both hands.
“[Garner has] put himself in a great position with the sanctioning bodies,” the head coach said,” so I think he’s probably about a year away from fighting for a world title and becoming a world champion.”
