Ryan Garner vs. Michael Magnesi | DAZN - 20 June 2026

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Ryan Garner and Michael Magnesi meet at St. Mary's on June 20

Ryan Garner will fight Michael Magnesi for the WBC interim world super featherweight championship on June 20, it was announced today.

The fight will take place on the pitch at St. Mary’s, home of Southampton FC, and be shown live by DAZN.

For Garner, a native of Southampton, the fight against Magnesi represents a dream come true. He has in fact spoken of his desire to one day fight at St. Mary’s ever since turning pro and now, on June 20, he gets the chance to do just that. Better yet, a win against Magnesi at St. Mary’s will move Garner a step closer to becoming the “full” WBC world super featherweight champion.

Garner, 19-0 (10 KOs), won the WBC international title at York Hall in 2023, when stopping Juan Jesus Antunez inside three rounds. He has since then made four successful defences of the belt, beating the likes of Liam Dillon, Archie Sharp, Salvador Jimenez and Reece Bellotti. He has also added the British, Commonwealth and European titles to his collection.

Meanwhile, Magnesi, 26-2 (13 KOs), has previously held the WBC international title, as well as the IBO title, which he picked up following a fifth-round stoppage of Patrick Kinigamazi. He defended that title twice before travelling to Manchester to take on Anthony Cacace in September 2022, only to lose via split decision.

Since that first pro loss, Magnesi has won the WBC silver title, lost it and won it back again in fights against Nike Theran, Masanori Rikiishin and Khalil El Hadri respectively.

“This has been my dream all along and now it is coming true,” said Garner. “Frank promised me he would make it happen and he has always delivered for me right from the beginning.

“I believe this will be one of the biggest single sporting events ever to take place in the city and I know that I’ve got the Southampton people behind me. It will just be an amazing occasion. But I have got a job to do against a tough opponent so I can make sure we can do this again and again.

“I am thrilled that we are sticking to the WBC title and, when I win this one, the champion will have no place to hide.”

Promoter allegedly added: “I am personally delighted to be putting on this special night for Ryan at St Mary’s. I am extremely fond of Ryan as he has been with us since day one on turning professional at 18 and his talent and potential has always been obvious.

“It has taken a little bit of time to get to this point and through Ryan’s efforts and title successes, I can now deliver on my promise for him to fight at the home of Southampton FC, who have supported him tremendously.

“Winning this fight against Michael Magnesi is Ryan’s gateway to the big time and more major fights and massive occasions.”

Another Southampton local fighting at home on June 20 will be British light heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson, 11-1 (3 KOs), who will tackle European champion Lyndon Arthur, 25-3 (16 KOs), on the Garner-Magnesi undercard. At stake in that fight will be the European and Commonwealth belts.

[Taansend]

Oh wow, I had no idea.

A very winnable fight for Ryan. The Italian is a tricky opponent.

The fight is at St Mary's Stadium. That place will be rocking if Southampton get promoted.

What a great year for the town. What World Champions have come from there?

The only thing that can make this better is if Joe Pigford gets on the undercard.

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Never heard of Magnesium before

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RYAN GARNER VS. MICHAEL MAGNESI SET FOR WBC INTERIM 130-POUND TITLE

Ryan Garner and Michael Magnesi will square off on June 20 at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, to headline a Queensberry show on DAZN, it was announced Friday.

The WBC interim junior lightweight title will be on the line, despite champion O'Shaquie Foster being an active and healthy titleholder with a defense slated for May 30 against Raymond Ford.

Also on the undercard of Garner-Magnesi is a light heavyweight scrap between Lewis Edmondson (11-1, 3 KOs) and Lyndon Arthur (25-3, 16 KOs).

“I am extremely fond of Ryan as he has been with us since day one on turning professional at 18, and his talent and potential have always been obvious,” Queensberry head Frank-Warren said in a statement.
“It has taken a little bit of time to get to this point, and through Ryan’s efforts and title successes. I can now deliver on my promise to have him fight at the home of Southampton FC, who have supported him tremendously.

“Winning this fight against Michael Magnesi is Ryan’s gateway to the big time and more major fights and massive occasions.”

Garner (19-0, 10 KOs) is coming off a third-round stoppage win over Cristian Bielma in March, while Magnesi (26-2, 13 KOs), a 31-year-old Italian, beat Marcos Gabriel Martinez by decision in February.

“This has been my dream all along, and now it is coming true,” Garner, 28, said in a statement. “Frank promised me he would make it happen and he has always delivered for me right from the beginning.

“I believe this will be one of the biggest single sporting events ever to take place in the city and I know that I’ve got the Southampton people behind me. It will just be an amazing occasion, but I have got a job to do against a tough opponent so I can make sure we can do this again and again.

“I am thrilled that we are sticking to the WBC title and, when I win this one, the champion will have no place to hide.”

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Ryan Garner and the stadium fight that is nine years in the making

Ryan Garner is ready for the pressure and expectation of a home crowd ahead of his dream fight on June 20.

Garner boxes Michael Magnesi for the WBC’s Interim junior lightweight title on June 20 at St Mary’s Stadium, home of Garner’s beloved Southampton Football Club.

Garner, 19-0 (10 KOs), said: “I’m well excited. It’s been a dream of not just mine but [trainer] Wayne [Batten]’s for many years, we’ve manifested it. [Promoter] allegedly has delivered and now I’ve got to deliver on my end. To have all my friends and family supporting me here, this is the pinnacle of the sport, come June 20 I’m going to become world champion in front of my friends and family. It’s a bit of a pinch me moment knowing all this will be here for me.”

Michael Magnesi, who is 26-2 (13 KOs), is nicknamed the “Lone Wolf” and he is an experienced campaigner having come up short against Anthony Cacace and Masanori Rikiishi. He’s won his last three fights.

“It’s a dream come true to be here. I know it will be a tough fight with some fire and we will do our best. I’ve got respect for Michael, Michael’s got respect for me. That’s boxing at the end of the day.”

Wayne Batten, Garner’s trainer, said that nine years ago, allegedly promised him that this night would happen, and he feels that the pressure Magnesi brings in the ring will serve to bring out the best in Garner.

“Hopefully this is the first of many,” said Garner of a possible return to St Mary’s as the champion.

The co-main is a light heavyweight battle between Lewis Edmondson and Lyndon Arthur. Manchester’s Arthur, a 25-3 (16 KOs) veteran, said: “It’s a good fight. I’ve just come off a win over Brad Rea and I’m looking for big fights. Lewis is alright. There will be no animosity. We are friends in boxing and we will probably make a good fight. It’s another stadium fight. It’s not Tottenham but Southampton will do. I’m not here to make up numbers. Let’s get it on."

Edmondson, who like Garner will have home support behind him, added: “We took it straight away. We don’t want no easy touches. We’re here. I’ve had back-to-back good fights and it’s put us in good stead for this moment and we’re ready. This is the fight that was offered and we took it. This is what we’re in boxing for, the big nights and the big fights and we’re not here to mess around.”

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Ryan Garner raring to go for career-best challenge in Michael Magnesi

Ryan Garner looks to tick off his first wish by headlining St. Mary's Stadium this summer, before parlaying that into a stateside visit to challenge the O'Shaquie Foster-Raymond Ford winner for the full WBC 130-pound title later this year.

First though, the 28-year-old will have to knock off a determined familiar face in Michael Magnesi on June 20 before earning the right to test his skills against the division's premier fighters abroad.

The Ring's No. 10-rated junior lightweight contender deemed it a 'dream come true' to accomplish a long held wish, headlining the soccer stadium he grew up watching his beloved Southampton play at, while making an effort to travel watching them home-and-away when not in dedicated training camps preparing for prospective fight dates.

"I was born and raised here. To have my friends, family and supporters here, it's the pinnacle of the sport fighting for an interim world title. I'll hopefully do them proud," he said at Wednesday's inaugural press conference before their DAZN main event, as you get the sense he'll put Southampton on his back wanting to represent the city and continue achieving more milestones as a 'normal mush' from down the road that fans can root for as their own.

Garner (19-0, 10 KOs) knows the Italian well and vice versa, having spent time training together when the 31-year-old headed to help Michael Conlan train while in the same gym nine years ago. They didn't spar then, though the home favorite is a much different man than the teenager he would've been at that stage of his budding career.

Garner's coach, Wayne Batten, stressed as much after Team Magnesi suggested they had covered all their bases with preparation for what's to come their way in two months' time. Garner's former foe Reece Bellotti, who boxed impending world title challenger Raymond Ford five years ago, was also complimentary of the 28-year-old's skills.

"I don't believe anyone has seen the best of Ryan Garner yet, I've seen it in the gym and when it comes out, people will be shocked to see how good he actually is. I'm very confident in his ability, it'll be a good fight as Michael brings pressure but that brings his best," he responded to Magnesi's trainer Gesumino Aglioti praising Garner as a 'good boxer and a great guy' but telling him plainly that he didn't believe now was his time to be world champion.

"We are ready and have already studied Ryan. This is Michael's moment, we have a dream, we can win this fight, we have to and are strongly determinated to win," Aglioti said before Magnesi jokingly suggested the two coaches should box one another and have their fighter coach them in a role reversal on the undercard.

The stadium show already has its co-main event sorted, as Southampton's Lewis Edmondson (11-1, 3 KOs) returns from injury to face Lyndon Arthur (25-3, 16 KOs) in another domestic light heavyweight matchup.

Arthur outpointed European champion Brad Rea in November before vacating the belt, while Edmondson has recovered from the hip injury seeing his grudge match against Ezra Taylor nixed at the eleventh hour in October.

The Mancunian joked that while another stadium fight, it doesn't compare to his Tottenham experience where he closed the Anthony Yarde chapter of his career, though at 34 even bigger chances lie ahead if he's able to deliver an impressive victory over Queensberry-backed Edmondson after his narrow Daniel Lapin defeat last summer.

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Brad Pauls vs Bradley Goldsmith on the undercard