At just 19 years aged, fresh-faced Ryan Garner put forward his dream of fighting at St Mary’s Stadium, home of Southampton Football Club.

At the time, it must have sounded like little more than fantasy, something a juvenile candidate might say to attract media attention.

But for Garner, it was a dream he had imagined thousands of times, knowing that one day he would have an opportunity of this magnitude.

No one was able to convince him or his coach Wayne Batten that this dream would not become a reality, and although there were no shortage of bumps in the road, now both are preparing for an opportunity they have long been working towards.

In an interview with Boxing News, Garner did not try to hide his delight ahead of the fight for the “interim” WBC super featherweight title with Michael Magnesi, which will take place on June 20 in St Mary’s.

“In 2017, I gave my first interview here [at St Mary’s] with Trans World Sport. And here we are now.

“We’ve been manifesting this for years, so for it to actually happen is just a dream come true.

“I can’t wait, I hope to make history and become Southampton’s first ever world champion. I know it’s an interim title, but ultimately it’s still a world title.”

While promoting his fight with Magnesi, Garner revealed some glimpses of his soccer skills.

He is undoubtedly a talented athlete and it seems that only his boxing predispositions have stopped him from becoming a stylish winger for St Mary’s.

“When I was younger, I wasn’t that bad at football – I admit that – but of course I was better at fighting.

“I started as a striker, then moved to central midfielder and ended up on the right wing.”

Having played for Southampton’s academy from U7 to U10, it quickly became clear that Garner was most effective with his punches.

Now the 28-year-old has probably reached his sporting peak and wants to become the main contender for O’Shaquie Foster’s WBC belt.

Many believed that at least Magnesi represented a solid opponent WBA champion Anthony Cacace was the most likely dance partner, especially after Garner appeared on his card in March.

However, there was a clear lack of willingness on Cacace’s part, as he would rather cement his legacy with a potential unification showdown later this year.

“I don’t blame him. He’s getting older and the end of his career is approaching, so he wants to unite the team 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 – I always dreamed of fighting here [at St Mary’s]”

Magnesi is probably best known for giving a good account of himself in his match against Cacaca, which led to his split decision loss in 2022.

However, from Garner’s perspective, there is no reason to change the approach that has earned him an impressive 19-0 (10 KO) record.

“I’ve always been mentally powerful. Nothing really worries me, nothing really scares me. I don’t look at my opponents. I just go in there and do my best.”

Time will tell if that will be enough to defeat Magnesi, but either way Garner expects to have 15,000 to 20,000 fans screaming his name.

Author: Sean Crose

Don’t be fooled by this. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez was seen as the future of boxing. Although he had already won world titles in two weight classes, his WBA bantamweight title fight on Saturday night against defending champion Antonio Vargas was expected to be the next rung on the ladder to the top of the sport. Correct. Rodriguez stepped into the ring in Arizona on Saturday night and was hailed as boxing’s next substantial star. Could it become the elusive “household name”? If so, he would likely be the first fighter to do so since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Naturally, Vargas saw it as his mission to crash the party. After all, he was the defending champion and felt he had a lot to prove. He may not have been very celebrated, but Vargas was certainly determined. He also had a set of skills that made him noteworthy. But were they noteworthy for players like Rodriguez? The answer was most likely deemed to be no. However, it is worth mentioning that Vargas did not have to face Rodriguez. The choice was his. However, the truth about who owned the night was revealed with the sound of the opening bell.

It became clear very early on that Vargas was certainly capable of challenging the celebrated Rodriguez. In fact, he gave Rodriguez a lot of trouble. By the end of the first quarter of the fight, it seemed that Vargas, not Rodriguez, was in charge. However, it ended in the 5th set when Rodriguez knocked down Vargas with a wonderful shot. Vargas, however, not only defeated the count, but also performed well for the remainder of the round. However, the end of the fight came faster than Vargas wanted. In the sixth set, Rodriguez’s explosive shot knocked down the defending champion and eliminated him from the game. Now it was Rodriguez who held the WBA bantamweight title.

“He was a lot tougher than I expected,” Rodriguez said immediately after the fight. “Luckily, I was able to get him out of there in the 6th.” As for the explosive knockout that ended the fight, Rodriguez was clear about it. “I’m not looking for a punch,” he said. “It just comes.” Indeed, it was this type of confidence that led this man to win the fight as much as his thunderous power.

At this point, everyone expects Rodriguez to face the great Naoya Inoue. This would be a great fight, but it’s worth wondering if Rodriguez would be able to beat the Japanese fighter at this point. Vargas proved to be a challenging opponent. How much tougher can Inoue get? On the other hand, boxing is about challenging yourself, rising to the occasion and overcoming adversity. If Rodriguez decides to go down this route against the likes of Inoue, the man deserves nothing but praise. Things could get captivating soon. Then again, this is boxing, so you never know.

A fight between Rodriguez and Inoue would be exhilarating for fans, but boxing is largely governed by politics, not fan opinion. If this were not the case, there would be many more fights between fighters that the public would want to see. Of course, the time shift between the match against Vargas and Inoue could be beneficial for Rodriguez. Again, he didn’t look like he could easily beat Inoue, if at all on Saturday. After all, they don’t call Inoue “The Monster” for nothing. Then again, they don’t call Rodriguez “Bam” for nothing.

“You have to create more separation in this fight. Your fights have to be too close together, man,” Bradley said on his YouTube channel. “You compete, but you don’t compete to win. You’re just there, brother.

“You’ve got to take these guys out, man. That’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to take the judges out of this.”

Bradley also urged Roach to boost his activity against Zepeda’s indiscriminate attacks.

“You have to be more energetic than you have been in the last few fights. That’s how you’re going to do it,” Bradley said. “Some refs like guys who are busier than the other guy. They just throw shots and whether they land or not, they just throw punches.”

Roach (25-1-3 (10 KO)) enters the fight after a series of close fights. In March, he fought Gervonta Davis to a draw and later fought Isaac Cruz to a draw. Prior to these fights, Roach scored a split decision victory over Hector Garcia.

Zepeda (33-1 (27 KO)) is coming off the only loss of his career, a unanimous decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in July 2025. The Mexican high-pressure fighter remained competitive throughout the competition and now he gets another chance to win the world title.

Zepeda has built its reputation on constant pressure and high impact performance. The Mexican received a chance to fight for the vacant WBC title after Shakur Stevenson retired from the belt.

The winner of the Aug. 1 fight will emerge as the recent WBC lightweight champion and potentially prepare for top fights in one of boxing’s deepest divisions.