John Ryder has embarked on a bumpy road to Saturday’s world title fight against Canelo Alvarez, overcoming a series of setbacks to arrive on the biggest night of his career.
Ryder (32-5, 14 KOs) will earn the best payday of his career when he meets Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) in Guadalajara, Mexico. But those who put money down would be brave to bet in his favor. After all, the odds are against him: Not only will it be Canelo’s first fight in Mexico in almost 12 years – a homecoming he’s been waiting for for years – Canelo is also one of the best fighters in the world.
Ryder has defied the odds throughout his career. He has recorded four wins since losing a controversial decision to England rivals Callum Smith in 2019 and he has seemed to improve each time. Ryder was impressive against Smith but his momentum stalled due to inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“2019 was a great year for me, I got to box in Vegas, then I had the Smith fight,” he said. “People see it as a bad thing [losing by a disputed decision to Smith], but I got a lot of credit for it. I still think I should have won. I had a lot of momentum and momentum is what’s good for me. I was ready for a big 2020 and wanted to get on an aviator and then the COVID hit. Big fights were planned for 2021. It’s been a nightmare for two years.”
Ryder reignited his career with a split decision win over former champion Daniel Jacobs in a WBA world title eliminator in February 2022. He fought his way into the fight from round 7 and won by 115-113, 115-113 and 113-115 after Jacobs controlled most of the fight until halftime.
“It feels like a coming out party after 12 years in the game,” Ryder said after the fight.
Ryder then clinched the WBO interim super middleweight title after Zach Parker was forced to retire at the end of the fourth round with a suspected broken right hand in November. Despite the win, Ryder once came close to retiring from the sport.
John Ryder, right, was about to quit boxing and worked as a bouncer in London. Getty
He never enjoyed the superstardom or wealth that Canelo enjoyed for most of his career, and times were so tough for the London, England-based boxer that he was once forced to supplement his boxing career earnings by working as a bouncer worked in a nightclub in east London.
“There were some dark times when I thought that might be it,” said Ryder, known as “The Gorilla.” “I think I had this stubborn determination in me to keep going and I believe I can do good things in this sport. I think the proof is in the pudding, I did it and I was right to move on.
“My sponsor got me a janitor’s license and I’ve done quite a bit of that on the doors with a couple of friends,” he continued. “That was nice, and it was more the social aspect. Boxing is so secluded, you work so hard in the gym, so it’s been a pretty nice break to work the door every once in a while. It was long hours, not ideal for boxing, but the odd Friday night here and there was a lot of fun.”
Ryder said he works with people who have boxed or trained themselves.
“There were no hotheads, they were all cool, calm and collected,” he said. “You had your speakers at the door who could calm situations. I’ve never been on the front line to get involved. I just stayed calm.”
Ryder is a surprise opponent in this fight, having suffered losses to three fellow English boxers, all beaten by Alvarez. Smith lost a unanimous decision to Alvarez in December 2020 after defeating Ryder a year earlier, who also lost unanimous decisions to Rocky Fielding (2017) and Billy Joe Saunders (2013). Alvarez crushed Fielding in three rounds in 2018 and stopped Saunders in eight rounds in 2021.
It hasn’t been a straight-line rise for Ryder, while other challengers Alvarez faced had climbed through the ropes with unbeaten records, and as current or former champion, Ryder was never a world champion and defeats have punctuated his career. He was beaten five times and, after losing three British title fights, seemed destined for a time to stay in domestic boxing. Smith’s performance was the turning point for Ryder despite the loss.
Ryder had a sneak peek at the Alvarez show before. Four years ago, Ryder was part of the undercard when Alvarez won a unanimous decision over Jacobs for three middleweight title belts at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ryder twice beat Bilal Akkawy in round three to force the stoppage and capture the WBA super middleweight title in an impressive performance against a previously undefeated opponent. In 2020, Ryder unanimously beat Mike Guy on the same tally as Gennadiy Golovkin’s win over Kamil Szeremeta in Hollywood, Florida.
If Ryder is to make the splash he’s hoped for throughout his career, he’s going to need everything he’s got. Beating Canelo at home is far from likely, but after everything he’s overcome, Ryder can’t be ruled out.
