IN the main event at the Bournemouth International Centre, Ryan ‘The Piranha’ Garner stopped Reece ‘The Bomber’ Bellotti in the 12th round. The main event of the ‘Pier Pressure’ showdown had three super-featherweight titles on the line: British, Commonwealth, and European. Both fighters came prepared for war and brought intense focus, yet maintained mutual respect heading into the ring.
Garner broke Bellotti down over the course of the contest to remain undefeated and take one step closer to his dreams of a world title fight at St. Mary’s Football Stadium in his home city of Southampton.
The atmosphere in the BIC was electric as the support for Garner echoed throughout before either fighter made their ring walks. As expected, the fight delivered action from the get-go. Round one alone saw both fighters backed up and hit with clean shots.
Garner would be controlling the centre of the ring for one moment, but just as it looked like he would take control, the momentum switched.
Round two saw a change in pace as Garner walked down Bellotti, landing thudding blows on numerous occasions as a minor cut began to appear on the side of Bellotti’s left eyebrow.
Garner refused to take any steps back, maintaining forward pressure during round five. Bellotti was trying to return heavy-handed shots to offset the pace of Garner, but to no avail, as Garner managed to find the target multiple times with clean punches.
An intense affair ensued as two styles clashed. Garner was dictating where the fight would take place, leading off the exchanges, whilst Bellotti was always searching for his counter combinations. Garner began to beat Bellotti at his own game, winning the exchanges on the inside.
Bellotti found success in round six, where he had Garner cornered for just a moment and seemingly had him hurt before the boxers tied up in the clinch. However, Garner found a way to finish the round out on the front foot again.
The fight became a back-and-forth war in the seventh and eighth rounds as both men exchanged fast combinations from close range, with neither wanting to take a back step. Neither boxer showed clear signs of fatigue.
Into the championship rounds and Garner started to display some slicker head movement mixed with counter punches whenever Bellotti attempted to go onto the front foot. There were glimpses of stellar footwork for brief moments when the fight was not fought head-to-head on the inside.
In the 12th and final round, Garner connected with a devastating combination that had Bellotti hurt. When ‘The Piranha’ smelled blood, he hunted, and as Bellotti began to stumble on the back foot to create distance between him and the aggressor, the referee saw enough and waved the contest off.
The time was recorded at 45 seconds of the final session. Garner moves to 18-0 (9 KOs) while Reece Bellotti is now 20-6 (15 KOs) and staring down the barrel at the end of a long, hard, yet fruitful career.
