Ryan Garner was just 18 years old when he burst onto the British super-featherweight scene.
Garner may have taken a more circuitous route to the top than many would have predicted or expected but after beating Archie Sharp at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, he finally looks poised for lift-off.
Southampton’s Garner, 16-0 (8 KOs) lost his way during his early twenties but has picked up the path again over the past 14 months, racking up four successive victories and improving each time.
Still only 26, Garner produced a career-best victory to beat former British champion Liam Dillon over 10 hard rounds in May but despite picking up a couple of cuts and more than a few bruises, he leapt at the chance to capitalize on the momentum and take on the talented and unbeaten Sharp, who bought with him a glossy record and a high WBO world ranking.
The old Garner would have disappeared for a few months after the fight with Dillon and taken his celebrations too far but it has belatedly dawned on “The Piranha” that he possesses the natural ability to improve life for himself and his young family. Although those who know him best insist that he is still some way from fulfilling his true promise, he has begun to show just why his believers stuck by him throughout his ups and downs.
“I’m buzzing. I’ve got another little girl on the way in October. That’s just gonna set me and my family up now. Bigger paydays, get a house. That’s what I’ve wanted,” he told Queensberry after the fight.
“I’m blessed, really. I’m lucky. It’s all paying off now, thank God. All the hiccups in the past. We’re here now. I think my missus and having a family grounded me and made me grow up. I needed to switch on. I’m a provider now. This is everything to me.”
An evasive Sharp, 25-1 (9 KOs), made Garner miss and smiled his way through the first round but quickly found himself under pressure. He neglected his impressive combination punching at times and his usually sharp jab was a non-factor but Garner successfully imposed himself on Sharp, landing the cleaner, harder punches throughout.
In the past, Garner has been heavily and regularly linked to a fight with current IBF super featherweight champion, Anthony Cacace, and although he will need to be much cuter and more accurate when he does begin mixing with the 130lbs division’s bigger names, any questions surrounding Garner’s potential have never been centered on his ability.
“I thought he was gonna be a bit slicker. Obviously he’s a good mover and he was moving a lot. I thought he’d be even harder to pin down and catch,” Garner said. “I thought he’d be more elusive. It was a tough fight and it was awkward in there. I just had to make it a bit nitty and gritty. Sometimes I was trying too hard to knock him out I think but that was because he was moving so much.
“I’ve got my daughter being born in October so I think I’m going to have a little break. I’ve had two camps back to back so hopefully a big one at the end of the year down in Southampton or on the South Coast.
“I felt like a man possessed in there. I wanted that win so much. Not just for me but for my family. It means everything to me and I can push on and get these big fights and these big paydays.”
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