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A close yet disputed loss at the hands of Callum Smith in 2019 seemed to seal John Ryder’s fate as a gatekeeper. With five defeats already laced across his record, his dreams of one day winning a world title had gone by the wayside. However, armed with steely determination, Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) turned things around.
Following back-to-back victories over Mike Guy and Jozef Jurko, Ryder seized the moment against Daniel Jacobs. While he struggled early on, the British native used a second-half rally to score the upset victory.
Quickly, Ryder parlayed that victory into a fifth-round stoppage win over Zach Parker. As a result, the 34-year-old nicknamed “The Gorilla”, is now the proud owner of the WBO interim crown. Considering his form and claim to fame, Ryder could find himself standing across the ring from current undisputed super middleweight kingpin, Canelo Alvarez.
“Hopefully I can be the man in the opposite corner come Cinco De Mayo weekend,” said Ryder to Boxing Social.
Alvarez, after laying waste to the competition, nabbed every major golden trinket at 168 pounds. In his quest to relieve even more belt holders or their championship status, Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) audaciously made the move to the light heavyweight division to take on Dmitry Bivol.
In spite of his bravado and overwhelming confidence, the Mexican star would come up woefully short, losing via unanimous decision. On the night, Bivol employed a box-first approach, refusing to engage in protracted stints inside the pocket.
To kick off his 2023 campaign, Alvarez, somewhat impetuously, has remained focused on exacting his revenge. However, before the 32-year-old faces off against Bivol in the second half of the new year, Ryder, at least according to longtime promoter Eddie Hearn, has emerged as the frontrunner.
Although nothing has been officially set in stone, Ryder is already working on his craft and formulating a game plan to usurp the future Hall of Famer. While both Bivol and Floyd Mayweather have proven that the multi-divisional champion can be outboxed, Ryder plans on attacking Alvarez in an unconventional fashion.
“You play him at his own game I think. You fight him up close. He’s a great midrange fighter, Bivol showed that he could beat him at range – in and out but I’m not that kind of fighter. I’ll work to my strengths.”