Reece Bellotti prepared for 'biggest' fight of his career against Ryan Garner

Reece Bellotti has faced many fighters over the course of his career, but he expects Ryan Garner to be the toughest of them all.

Bellotti and Garner will square off July 26 in Bournemouth, UK, in a headline super featherweight fight that will also be live on DAZN. Both men bring some hardware to the encounter, with the winner walking away with the EBU European, British and Commonwealth titles.

For Bellotti, the bout is the peak of a career that has spanned over 10 years so far, but the 34-year-old is preparing for Garner without a hint of the personal animosity so often seen in the build-up to title fights.

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“This moment is massive and it is definitely the biggest in my career too," Belotti said at the launch press conference at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton. "Unfortunately for viewers, there is not going to be a huge amount of beef between me and Garner because we respect each other and where we are in our careers.

“I expect the hardest fight of my career, also, and I will train accordingly. I am in good form, I feel good and moving up in weight has massively helped me. I am just looking forward to the fight."

Bellotti is on a six-fight win streak, but before that he lost three straight fights — including one to a future world champion. However, he puts Garner on level footing with everyone he's fought so far and believes both he and his opponent could challenge for bigger titles some day. 

“For me Ryan is definitely up there," he said. "I know people will look at Ray Ford [who defeated Bellotti in 2021] because he was a world champion, but there is no reason why I can’t win a world title and also Ryan.

"Every time I get in there I view it as the hardest by far and Ryan is up there for me."

Now a seasoned veteran, Bellotti explained that he has become a more rounded fighter than the one who loss three straight prior to his current win streak. He says he no longer relies on just one characteristic to get him through his fights.

“I don’t really use power anymore as a factor for me because I learned the hard way before doing that when I got beat," Bellotti said. "I just relied on it and thought it was the only thing I needed.

"There is a lot more to the game and I have learned that now. I am not just a one-trick pony now and that will pay dividends on the night.”

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