Saint Ryan Welcomed at St Mary's

Southampton football fans didn’t have much to celebrate on Sunday evening but still mustered up a massive cheer for local favourite Ryan Garner, who was welcomed at St Mary’s Stadium before and at half-time at the Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Piranha took to the stage in the pre-match Fanzone to promote his first fight on the South Coast since 2017. He will take on the undefeated Spaniard Salvador Jimenez in a major title encounter on Saturday March 1 at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC).

The hugely popular Ryan urged Saints fans to make the short trip to the BIC in big numbers as a prelude to a potential summer special at the home of Southampton. He was also interviewed pitch side during the break and lifted spirits in the stadium, with the home team 5-0 down to Spurs at the time.

“I am so grateful for all the support I get from Saints fans,” said Ryan of his St Mary’s experience. “I am proud of my city and where I come from, so I want to make them proud of me and what I achieve in the ring.

“I want to say a big thank you to the Club for inviting me to the game and the publicity they have given to my headline fight in Bournemouth on March 1. I told everyone that we want to get as many people as possible at the BIC so that Frank will want to keep coming back to the South Coast to put on big boxing events.

‘My dream, of course, is to fight at the stadium and a big win in front of a big crowd in Bournemouth will help to make this happen in the summer.”