John Ryder is entering the fight of the lions as the hometown hero takes on Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Guadalajara But the Brit insists he doesn’t require an extra knockout to seal the victory.
Canelo is widely regarded as the “face of boxing” with his impressive resume already establishing his place as one of the greatest boxers of all time when he was just 32 years old.
The Mexican is the undisputed king of super-middleweight and has taken down the titles over an 11-month period post-pandemic. In the past, he won world titles at light heavyweight middleweight, light-middleweight and heavyweight.
His extraordinary talent was evident through a rapid rise to 39-0-1 at the close of 2011. At that at that point, he completely changed his focus towards fighting in US massive fights. This weekend’s fight against Ryder is his return home, finally — his first fight across the border in over 12 years.
In spite of being away from home turf It has been difficult for any team to win the points victory against Canelo -you just need to inquire Gennadiy Golovkin. Many skeptics believe that Ryder will face that it will be even more difficult to impress judge at Mexico, Ryder has dismissed it as an issue that is not a problem.
The 34-year-old replied: “No [I don’t need to be knocked out] in any way. The contract says there are three judges who are neutral, and an impartial referee. We saw in the [DmitryBivol] Bivol fight that it is going to be judged fair based on the fight. We have to put our trust on the judges to perform their work properly.
“Often If you’re trying for a knockout during the ring, it will not happen because you’re just too eager to achieve it. Therefore, I’m focused on my job and do it right and ultimately winning. I’m not going become greedy and attempt to achieve an end to the fight.
“You’ve got to give Canelo the respect he deserves — he’s been a great champion for many years. I’ve gone looking for stoppages in the past, and then made a hard night’s work of it. I’m gonna go with what I do best: box, be sensible and listen to the words of the gameplan that Tony [Sims] has set out for me.”
The UD defeat to Bivol occurred as Canelo attempted to make the leap to 175lbs however Bivol was the Jalisco native chewed more than his share. Bivol was the better fight throughout, far faster, busier, stronger and more intelligent.
The result was an easy UD victory for him against Golovkin however, the final chapter of a trilogy featuring two generations of talent was a failure. In his 40s, ‘GGG’ was nothing like his previous self. The Kazakh’s opportunity to get revenge was a long way off, after Canelo won the series with a 2-0 win with a clean slate and without a controversy.
Ryder said: “He’d been up to 175 before that point and, whether I’m right or not, that he claimed he was too large when he faced Sergey Kovalev. And the fight ended right away. Therefore, I was shocked when he returned in order to take on Bivol — a great boxer who is in and out well-rounded, and able to punch. I was surprised by the strangeness of it.
“The third and final Golovkin fight didn’t really live up to expectation. Everyone was expecting a stoppage from Canelo in that fight, but it is what it is. Then he’s had surgery on his wrist. I’m not relying on him being on the decline but it all depends on how he comes back from this surgery now.”
One challenge that the Londoner has to conquer the other one, which Golovkin and Bivol did not have to face in the past, are one of Mexican crowd. A roaring crowd of more than 55,000 will be thronging Akron Stadium, but Ryder hopes to win the locals over.
After joking about how “Millwall versus Wigan in the FA Cup [semi-final]” was the most frightening environment he’s ever experienced, Ryder said: “In Liverpool in the match against Callum Smith, there were some savage gestures. This is to be expectedYou’re playing against the hero of their town.
“I don’t know if i’ll ever fight before an audience as violent as the one in this. However, I’m convinced that they’re Mexican supporters are all fighters and they may cheer me on as I come into the ring, but as long as we’re giving them what they want during this fight, I’m certain they’ll be cheering me when I leave.
“If [a crowd is] for me, I’m absorbing that, it’s spurring me on, but if they’re against me, you’ve got to block it out and be that mentally strong side where you can really spur yourself on.”
Ryder has witnessed a Canelo fight in person prior to being his ringside seat. In May of 2019 Ryder defeated Bilal Akkawy via a third-round defeat in Las Vegas, on the undercard of Canelo fight. Daniel Jacobs.
“The Miracle Man” was widely predicted to give the then middleweight champion unified one of the toughest fights during his entire career. The result didn’t go this way, as Canelo delivered a show to win a UD victory, with his unbeatable head movements particularly drawing praises. The wrestler was on the top of his ability.
Ryder expressed his thoughts:
It was great. I had two seats at the ringside which meant that myself as well as Tony Sims sat ringside and were able to watch the fight from afar. It was a fantastic atmosphere, and a great combat. It was great to watch and take in the main event at the Las Vegas showdown. Vegas fight.
“It was a weird one, as I actually got warmed by going to Danny Jacobs’ dressing room. Eddie Hearn was promoting Jacobs at the time and told me to get warm in there. So I got warmed up at his locker room. Then, I had a fight, changed and I sat at on the ring.
“Canelo’s movement [impressed me most], how he got himself in and out of range without taking any shots. Jacobs was really a bit too desperate to land at times, got a bit careless and reckless at times.”
In the following years it was difficult to comprehend that Ryder could go on to beat Jacobs himself to take on the King. In fact, a back-up opponent for Canelo over a number of fight nights in the direction of Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Ryder stated: “I’m glad I never had a late call-up at the time, definitely. I’m getting enough criticism today from everyone However, imagine turning into fight week and being told that it’s because somebody else is sick. That would be an absolute punch in the face.
“So I’m thinking that this is the best moment physically and mentally for me. I feel like the entire period of lockdown was beneficial to get my name out on the map. It was great to get on a plane to go to places that we could not gain the access. I’m grateful for having been given this opportunity and that it’s happened at the right time and in the best way.
“I felt like a spare part during those weeks, just hanging around hoping someone got Covid. I’m not someone who wants to jump on the back of someone else’s downfall, either. For me, I wanted to do it the right way, have a proper camp, proper sparring, proper period of time to get ready for it.”
Although Ryder might not have been ready for a fill-in in the last minute He certainly is right now. In the footsteps that of Callum Smith, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Ryan Rhodes, Matthew Hatton, Rocky Fielding and Billy Joe Saunders The new contender is hoping at becoming the very first Brit in the last eight attempts to not lose to Canelo. Actually the only one Callum Smith lasted the distance and, even then, with a tiny margin.
“I just feel like the time is right for me,” Ryder said when he was asked the reasons he’s going to break Britain’s duck. “I’m maturing, and I’m stronger and hitting hard. Mentally I’m at the highest level I’ve ever had in my professional career. I’m a firm believer that timing is everything.
“I’m not relying on Canelo getting old overnight but he’s not looked vintage as of late — I’m coming off a career-best year while he’s coming off his career-worst. It’s all there to see what he’s got left on May 6.”
