John Ryder has only slim chance when entering lion's den to fight Canelo Alvarez

17 March 2023 , 16:30

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John Ryder is preparing to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez (Image: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

After a long career John Ryder finally has his day in the sun, selected to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez on a big public holiday in Mexico.

Canelo always celebrates the Cinco de Mayo festival with a big fight, typically in Las Vegas. On this occasion, he has decided on Guadalajara. Talk about entering the lion’s den. Ryder is as tough as they come but that is unlikely to save him.

I have great respect for Ryder. He came through the novices at the same time as my son Shane. They sparred together a number of times. He was a counter-punching southpaw back in the day but he has developed into a more aggressive fighter.

The problem is he is up against an all-time great in Canelo, whose only defeats have been against Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Dimitry Bivol. Mayweather ran from him and Canelo did not have the experience to work out the right way to counter.

Canelo underestimated Bivol. What he tried didn’t work. But it was not a heavy loss. He was still throwing at the last bell. It was not so much about what Canelo did wrong as what Bivol did right. He used his physical assets as the naturally bigger man and his movement was excellent.

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When Canelo attacked Bivol was not there to be hit. It was a brilliant performance born of staggering footwork grooved over more than 300 amateur bouts. Some thought Canelo would never be the same again. Not me. Since then he pounded Gennady Golovkin to defeat to show there were no ill effects.

John Ryder will be entering the lion's den in Mexico (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Ryder can’t do what Bivol did. He hasn’t got great feet and his movement is nothing out of the ordinary. He is just a solid performer, and a big unit with it. But he has lost five times and was stopped at middleweight by Nick Blackwell, albeit when he was weight drained.

Callum Smith lost valiantly to Canelo but was hurt on several occasions. When Smith fought Ryder it was a straightforward points win. Canelo is just too strong and relentless. He has picked Ryder because of his durability and guts. Canelo knows what he is doing. His matchmakers have hardly missed a beat.

The only mistake they made was taking on Bivol, who proved just that bit out of reach. Ryder has a chance but it’s a slim one. This is a pay day for him. It is about Canelo putting on a show against a game opponent. And losing is not part of the plan.

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Barry McGuigan