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Ryan Garner gives career-best performance to become European super featherweight champion with win over Salvador Jimenez
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Updated 02/03/2025 at 10:05 GMT
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Britain's Ryan Garner cruised to a unanimous-decision victory against challenger Salvador Jimenez on Saturday night at the Bournemouth International Centre. The 27-year-old put his WBC International super featherweight belt on the line, but as well as a successful defence, the win also gave him the vacant European strap as he builds towards a potential world title fight.
Highlights: Garner outclasses Jimenez to win European title in Bournemouth
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ryan Garner became European super featherweight champion with a convincing unanimous-decision win against Salvador Jimenez on Saturday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The two men met at the Bournemouth International Centre with two titles up for grabs.
Garner came in with the WBC International super featherweight belt to defend, with the vacant European strap also on the line.
The undefeated Spaniard made the trip to challenge for a belt that he held previously, winning it back in 2023 with a victory over Alex Rat.
Both fighters were busy in the opening round, with the incumbent a little more effective than his opponent as the three minutes progressed. The second round was more one-sided as Garner inflicted more pain.
The 27-year-old Briton increasingly walked down his opponent, though he needed attention for a cut on his left eyebrow.
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The fight slowed past the halfway point, and it appeared obvious that Jimenez would need a stoppage if he wanted to emerge victorious, but Garner remained in control throughout the championship rounds.
When the judges’ scorecards were read out, the only question was the margin of victory, and they each returned a one-sided 120-108 decision in Garner’s favour.
For Garner, a fight with Ireland's Anthony Cacace, the current IBF champion, is likely to be the easiest to make if he wants to step up to world level.
‘The kid can go to the very top’ – Frampton
Carl Frampton believes that the sky is the limit for what Garner can achieve with this victory over Jimenez, but says the scrutiny will only increase from this point.
When reviewing the fight, Frampton told TNT Sports: "He made Jimenez look not that good. I think if you give Jimenez a bit of time, he’ll probably be a good fighter, but he was relentless from start to finish.
"An incredible performance, it really was. After six rounds, I thought if he keeps this pace up, I’ll be surprised, but he did. He maintained it. He’s European champion now, and very close to fighting for a world title.
"You have to give Jimenez credit for being so tough and I do think he's a decent fighter. He's somebody that could give other fighters trouble, but he just couldn't deal with Garner's pace, his strength, his output, everything."
When discussing what lies next for Garner, Frampton stressed the need for the Brit to bide his time amid talk of a world-title challenge.
FRampton said: "There are good fighters around Europe he can test himself against and defend that title - the real European title.
"Let’s get a bit more experience. That would be my idea. I have a feeling that this kid will become a world champion at some point. But bide your time. A little more experience and he’ll get there.
"The pressure will increase from this stage on because he's just won a European title. The next thing is that these fans will be expecting him to win a world title, like it's an easy thing to do. He can deal with it, he's sensible, and has his head screwed on."
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