After being suspended from boxing, this British rising star wants to headline a stadium in 2026

British and Commonwealth super featherweight champion Ryan Garner is confident a fight at St Mary's, the home of his beloved Southampton Football Club, can be made in 2026. 

Garner is quickly gaining a reputation for being one of Britain's most entertaining fighters, and his 12th round knockout over Reece Bellotti in July thrusted him into the consciousness of British fight fans. 

If a fight at St Mary's can be made for Garner, then it will be the culmination of a journey which began eight years ago following a suspension by the British Boxing Board of Control. 

Garner turns life around after suspension

Featuring on the latest episode of DAZN's Spotlight series, Garner reflected on a career which has had its fair share of ups and downs. 

The toughest moment came in August 2017 when Garner was convicted of driving while under the influence of cocaine. As a result, he was suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control which brought his career to an abrupt halt. 

Instead of dwelling on the punishments given, Garner used this incident as a wake-up call to turn his life around and be the start of what now has been an exciting journey to watch unfold. 

"I got suspended from boxing because I was driving under the influence, it was eight years ago," Garner said.

"Since then, I’ve turned my life around and come back, and here we are today with four belts."

Garner ready to headline football stadium after passing Bellotti test

Beating an established name in Bellotti in dramatic fashion five months ago saw Garner become a fan favourite with social media was awash with fight fans, fighters past and present, and journalists praising 'The Piranha' for his performance. 

Recalling that night at Bournemouth's International Centre, Garner labelled it as the standout achievement of his career with the victory adding the historic British title to his resume. 

"It was a massive achievement. I was European and WBC international champion, I was fighting Reece Bellotti who was British and Commonwealth.

"It’s history fighting for the British title, let alone four belts at once, it was a big fight, the toughest fight of my career. I come through it with flying colours.

"Everyone thought it was going to be a really hard fight for me, on paper he’d been in with better fighters than me, he was on a winning streak. To go and do what I did, do a job on him, it was proper, it put my name right out there."

With every win, Garner's fanbase is growing, particularly in Southampton where it is now commonplace to see Southampton FC flags and the team's chants providing the soundtrack for his contests. 

As a result of this popularity, the chance to fight at St Mary's, which can hold up to 32,384 people, is becoming a real possibility, and for Garner fighting on the hallowed turf is his main goal going into 2026. 

"My main goal in the next year or two is fighting at St. Mary’s, it’s a big dream of mine," Garner responded when asked what he would like to achieve next year. 

"People have been talking about it for a long time, having Southampton Football Club and everyone from Southampton backing me, it makes it that bit better with everyone there just for you."

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