Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti Predictions: Two of Britain’s in-form fighters battle for the belts

Title unification is on the agenda as European super featherweight champion Ryan Garner defends against British and Commonwealth boss Reece Bellotti this Saturday, July 26. The fight they’re calling ‘Pier Pressure’ takes place at Bournemouth International Centre, close to home turf for Southampton’s Garner. DAZN will screen this quality clash live.

Here are my Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti predictions ahead of an excellent encounter.

Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti Odds

Garner is priced at 1/3 for this appetising domestic main event. The underdog Bellotti is priced at 11/4 while you can back a draw at 16/1.

Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti Fight Preview

On first glance, you would peg 20-5 Bellotti as the fighter who has overcome adversity to be here. But the wonderfully named ‘Piranha’ Garner can match his opponent for resilience, even if his 17-0 ledger does not suggest obstacles.

While Bellotti’s travails have come in the ring, enduring five losses in seven fights between 2018 and 2021, Garner has suffered outside of it. We will come to the remarkable resurgence of Bellotti, but let’s focus initially on Garner’s struggle and ascension.

Twice in the space of seven months, as an unbeaten prospect back in 2018 and 2019, Garner collapsed while trying to make weight. These frightening moments, along with a spate of show cancellations and general boxing politics, limited the upstart to two fights in two years. But the most important thing is Garner’s health and on that score he is flourishing.

A refreshed, serious mentality towards his work has seen ‘Piranha’ reborn. Now 17-0 with world rankings from the WBC, IBF and WBO; Garner is ready for an assault on the world scene. At the age of 27, he is entering his athletic prime after those early worries. Pairing the British and Commonwealth belts with the European championship is often a stepping stone to world titles. 

But that task will not be straightforward. Bellotti started his career like a hurricane, going 10-0 and stopping eight of those victims. A defence of his Commonwealth featherweight strap saw ‘Bomber’ stopped in five by Ryan Doyle, kicking off a period of uncertainty and disappointment.

Five losses from seven sounds like the work of a journeyman. But when you see the opposition, you begin to understand. Bellotti was a victim of overt bravery when discretion may have been the better part of valor. 

Not many fighters would come out of fights against Raymond Ford and Jordan Gill unscathed. Bellotti took European contender Francesco Grandelli and then-British champ Ryan Ward to close split decisions. Reece was getting beaten, but he was fighting the best opposition around.

It turns out that the answer was not in retreat but in rebirth. Bellotti moved up to super featherweight, knocking out Dean Dodge to win the Southern Area crown. Big scalps have followed. Aqib Fiaz, Liam Dillion, Yousseff Khamari, Michael Gomez Jr. and Levi Giles are another murderer’s row of champions. But this time, Bellotti beat every single one of them. The key was not to seek easy fights. It was to chase the best at a higher weight.

His love of a tough match-up puts the British and Commonwealth champion in the path of European boss Garner. Two men whose careers were on the cusp for different reasons. But both are better than ever and enjoying their finest periods. With three genuine, quality championships on the line rather than the alphabet soup intercontinental rubbish, this feels like pure, distilled boxing brilliance.

Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti Full Card

Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti

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Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti Prediction

Garner has never tasted defeat, but he faces off with an opponent who has a clear power advantage. ‘Bomber’ has lived up to his moniker, 15 of his 20 victims not hearing the final bell. In contrast, Garner has taken out just 8 of the 17 men he has defeated.

Bellotti has the experience edge here. 25 fights to 17 may not seem like much, but Bellotti can count outings against world champions and high-level continental competitors on his ledger. Garner’s level of competition has been good, but as the younger man by seven years, he is yet to be tested in waters that deep.

Bellotti counts as that sort of challenge, for my money. The veteran has no regard for reputations or records. Ask Fiaz and Dillon, two unbeaten stars who saw their records blemished by his fists. Stopping Gomez in Manchester takes some doing, too. 

Garner has signature wins and skills to match. His own outing against Garner was impressive and a win over undefeated former world mandatory Archie Sharp stands out. 

This is so well-balanced. Both have momentum and resilience. Each can count recent wins among their finest. Both bring belts as symbols of their immense quality. Youth fights experience and that can go either way. This time, I’m picking youth. There is something undeniable in Garner’s work. Bellotti will take him to hell, but I reckon ‘Piranha’ can swim to the surface. I’ll take Garner on points at 1/1.

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