First though, the 28-year-old will have to knock off a determined familiar face in Michael Magnesi on June 20 before earning the right to test his skills against the division's premier fighters abroad.

The Ring's No. 10-rated junior lightweight contender deemed it a 'dream come true' to accomplish a long held wish, headlining the soccer stadium he grew up watching his beloved Southampton play at, while making an effort to travel watching them home-and-away when not in dedicated training camps preparing for prospective fight dates.

"I was born and raised here. To have my friends, family and supporters here, it's the pinnacle of the sport fighting for an interim world title. I'll hopefully do them proud," he said at Wedneday's inaugural press conference before their DAZN main event, as you get the sense he'll put Southampton on his back wanting to represent the city and continue achieving more milestones as a 'normal mush' from down the road that fans can root for as their own.

Garner (19-0, 10 KOs) knows the Italian well and vice versa, having spent time training together when the 31-year-old headed to help Michael Conlan train while in the same gym nine years ago. They didn't spar then, though the home favorite is a much different man than the teenager he would've been at that stage of his budding career.

Garner's coach, Wayne Batten, stressed as much after Team Magnesi suggested they had covered all their bases with preparation for what's to come their way in two months' time. Garner's former foe Reece Bellotti, who boxed impending world title challenger Raymond Ford five years ago, was also complimentary of the 28-year-old's skills.

"I don't believe anyone has seen the best of Ryan Garner yet, I've seen it in the gym and when it comes out, people will be shocked to see how good he actually is. I'm very confident in his ability, it'll be a good fight as Michael brings pressure but that brings his best," he responded to Magnesi's trainer Gesumino Aglioti praising Garner as a 'good boxer and a great guy' but telling him plainly that he didn't believe now was his time to be world champion.

"We are ready and have already studied Ryan. This is Michael's moment, we have a dream, we can win this fight, we have to and are strongly determinated to win," Aglioti said before Magnesi jokingly suggested the two coaches should box one another and have their fighter coach them in a role reversal on the undercard.

The stadium show already has its co-main event sorted, as Southampton's Lewis Edmondson (11-1, 3 KOs) returns from injury to face Lyndon Arthur (25-3, 16 KOs) in another domestic light heavyweight matchup.

Arthur outpointed European champion Brad Rea in November before vacating the belt, while Edmondson has recovered from the hip injury seeing his grudge match against Ezra Taylor nixed at the eleventh hour in October.

The Mancunian joked that while another stadium fight, it doesn't compare to his Tottenham experience where he closed the Anthony Yarde chapter of his career, though at 34 even bigger chances lie ahead if he's able to deliver an impressive victory over Queensberry-backed Edmondson after his narrow Daniel Lapin defeat last summer.