Ryan Garner to defend interim WBC title against Jazza Dickens on January 9

Ryan Garner will make the first defence of his interim WBC super-featherweight title against former WBA champion Jazza Dickens at Bournemouth International Centre on January 9, 2027.

The Queensberry-promoted contest, which will be broadcast live on DAZN, pits the unbeaten 28-year-old against a southpaw who has fought for world titles across three weight divisions.

Garner won the vacant interim WBC belt by outpointing Michael Magnesi over 12 rounds at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium in June. Backed by a crowd of 13,000, he maintained a high pace on his way to a unanimous decision and improved his record to 20-0.

The victory continued Garner’s progress on the south coast. He defeated Salvador Jimenez at Bournemouth International Centre to win the European title in March 2025, having previously held the WBC International belt, and returned to the venue four months later to stop Reece Bellotti in the 12th round for the British and Commonwealth championships.

Dickens, 35, returned with an eight-round decision over Ramadhani Kimwaga in Dubai in September after losing on points to Anthony Cacace in their WBA super-featherweight title fight six months earlier.

Garner boxed on the same Dublin bill as Cacace-Dickens, stopping Cristian Bielma, and had previously identified the winner of the main event as a possible future opponent. Instead, he will now meet Dickens as Queensberry looks to move him towards a shot at the full WBC title.

Dickens won the interim WBA belt by stopping Albert Batyrgaziev in the fourth round in Istanbul in July 2025 and was subsequently elevated to full champion. That success followed his victory over Zelfa Barrett for the WBA International title.

The Liverpool fighter also won the IBO featherweight title against Lerato Dlamini in 2022 before losing to Hector Andres Sosa in his first defence the following year. His earlier world-title challenges ended in defeats by Kid Galahad for the IBF featherweight belt in 2021 and Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA super-bantamweight title in 2016.

Promoter Frank Warren believes Dickens represents the appropriate test for Garner at this stage of his career.

“First of all though, Ryan will be tested by a wily old campaigner in Jazza Dickens, a veteran of numerous big fights and one tricky customer,” Warren said. “This will be the toughest test to date for Ryan and rightly so. If he is to become the world champion, we think he will be, then he needs to have the measure of Jazza and prove his readiness.”

Queensberry also plans to take Garner back to Southampton if he defeats Dickens. “The event in June was a major success and we want to go back to St Mary’s again in 2027 for an even bigger fight,” Warren said.

The wider 130lb title picture could look different by then. Cacace is scheduled to defend his WBA belt against Nick Ball in December, while Emanuel Navarrete is due to face O’Shaquie Foster for the WBC, WBO and IBF titles. Garner must first retain his interim belt in Bournemouth before Queensberry can pursue a full WBC title opportunity or another appearance at St Mary’s.