May 26, 2023 Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Being viewed as a career journeyman isn't the ideal role to play but for John Ryder, he was given no choice. A handful of baffling losses to nondescript opponents made it practically impossible for Ryder to be viewed as a legitimate threat in the super middleweight division. But just when it appeared as though his career would continue to stall, the British native went on a run. The genesis of his turnaround was a controversial defeat at the hands of Callum Smith in 2019. From there, the now 34-year-old reeled off four consecutive victories, with his most notable win coming against Daniel Jacobs, a former two-time champion.
His reward for climbing up the ranks? An immediate showdown against the division’s current kingpin, Canelo Alvarez. Like always, Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) happily signed his name on the dotted line and fought the pound-for-pound star with everything he could muster. Yet, despite making it to the final bell, Ryder came up woefully short, losing a wide unanimous decision in Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. Typically, a reset of sorts would be in order. However, an ornery Ryder is in no mood to fight a long line of contenders before making his way back to the division’s pinnacle. Although the super middleweight division is packed to the brim with top names, Ryder has his eyes set on one person in particular.
“Been a big fan of (Gennadiy) Golovkin for the last ten years,” said Ryder to Boxing Social. “But put that aside and get the biggest and best fights. He’s been a great fighter but I want to fight the best. I want to test myself against him.”
At the moment, Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) finds himself in boxing's purgatory. Having held the IBF and WBA middleweight titles, the 41-year-old temporarily abandoned his royal seat and made the trek eight pounds north to challenge Alvarez for his undisputed throne.
After his shortcomings, Golovkin promised his fans that he would return to the middleweight division and defend his titles against the best available opponents. However, since making those claims, Golovkin’s words proved to be spurious. With the hard-hitting star dropping both of his trinkets, it’s unclear what his next plans will be.
If, by chance, the Kazakhstan star finds himself standing across the ring from Ryder, the former WBO interim 168-pound titlist firmly believes that he’ll plaster another loss to Golovkin's Hall of Fame resume.
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