Ryan Garner had things his own way and kept his dreams of a fight at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium alive with a routine win over Mexican Cristian Bielma.
After three straightforward rounds, Garner was pulled off his opponent at the 1:07 mark of the third with the Mexican under-fire. Garner is now 19-0 (10 KOs).
“It’s good to get back out there, he didn’t engage much, not my sort of style,” said Garner, who said he would be open to fighting the winner of the main event at Dublin’s 3Arena between Jazza Dickens and Anto Cacace.
“We will see what doors open,” he added.
Bielma, who did catch Garner with a couple of wild swings, is now 19-13 (7 KOs).
Garner is the WBC’s No. 3. The champion is O’Shaquie Foster, and Garner sits beneath Michael Magnesi and Ray Ford in the rankings.
Jono Carroll won a hard-fought split decision to scalp previously-undefeated Colm Murphy.
The cards were 116-112 each way with the decisive card 117-111 for Carroll, who is now 26-3-1 (7 KOs).
Belfast’s Murphy is now 16-1 (6 KOs).
Early on Murphy, the taller and rangier man, used his longer levers to keep Carroll at bay and frustrate the veteran whom, in the third, was reduced to lunging in and being caught by Murphy as he moved backward and stayed out of trouble.
Carroll had pockets of success in the fourth but Murphy’s right hand was never far from the target.
But the veteran had no respect for Murphy’s power and in the fifth repeatedly waved the youngster in in his bid to draw Murphy into range.
And as the rounds ticked by it started to work. Carroll, 33 and boxing at junior lightweight, was never discouraged and he kept coming, winning rounds, scoring with shots and forcing the 26-year-old Murphy to fight on his terms.
It was close, but Carroll had done just about enough.
