Some 16 years ago, John Ryder made a promise to his partner, Nancy, a promise he will finally keep on Saturday night in Guadalajara, Mexico. That promise? Become a boxing world champion.
“I told her I was going to be world champion,” he told Mail Sport. “Two kids later — we’re not married yet, that’s to come — I still have to fulfill that dream… She’s stuck with me until now, so she needs to see I wasn’t full of shit!”
On Saturday – or in the wee hours of Sunday morning, depending on where you’re watching – we’ll find out exactly what Ryder is made of, in what represents one of the toughest challenges in boxing: fighting Canelo Alvarez in Mexico on Cinco de Mayo- weekend.
Liverpool’s Echo Arena can indeed be an unforgiving battlefield, as Ryder discovered when he was controversially beaten by Callum Smith in his only world title attempt to date. But the 50,000 or so fans who will cram into the Estadio Akron as Canelo entertains a Mexican crowd for the first time in nearly 12 years will create a very different atmosphere.
Likewise, the price offered is a world of difference. Not a world title, but four. And not a victory over a domestic rival, but a truly legacy-defining, all-time great British victory on ground. Busy… so you would think.
John Ryder (right) faces a monumental challenge against Canelo Alvarez (left) this weekend.
The Briton faces a hostile crowd as Canelo fights in Mexico for the first time in nearly 12 years
“All the pressure is on Canelo,” continued Ryder, who has a record of 32 wins and five losses. “There’s no pressure on me. It is the first time in 12 years that he is back home. I feel like I’m coming off a best career year while he’s possibly coming off a worst career.
“I know it’s against a different level of opposition, but he lost to Dmitry Bivol and then gave a mediocre performance against Gennnady Golovkin. He didn’t look like he should have.
“A lot of people expected him to get Golovkin out of there, but he couldn’t. He had surgery on his wrist afterwards, so we’ll have to see what he’s left with.’
It’s true: Canelo was undoubtedly the face of boxing in November 2021 when he defeated Caleb Plant to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion – a title he still holds.
After reigning as the unified middleweight champion, and following a brief jump to light heavyweight where he dethroned Sergey Kovalev, Canelo embarked on a year-long mission, beating title holders Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and eventually Plant to become the first-ever undisputed champion at 168 lbs. History.
But less than two years later, his reputation has been somewhat tarnished. Losing emphatically to Dmitry Bivol as backup at light heavyweight was not part of the plan. And in reality, a points win over a 40-year-old Gennady Golovkin wasn’t quite the statement he wanted to make. Oleksandr Usyk, Noaya Inoue and Terence Crawford are now arguably higher in the pound-for-pound standings.
At the same time, Ryder has gone on to rack up a stunning streak of wins, claiming victories over Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker and making a lot of noise in the process. As mandatory challenger Ryder says, “I deserve to be in this position and I’ve earned my chance time and time again. I’m going to take what’s rightfully mine.”
But this isn’t Ryder wanting to strike while the iron is hot. The 34-year-old has wanted a fight with Canelo for years – and he still wants to face the best version of Canelo. “If Canelo knocked out Bivol and then Golovkin, I would still want this fight,” he said.
Canelo lost to Dmitry Bivol (left) in 2022 before beating Gennady Golovkin (right) on points
Ryder, meanwhile, is on a stunning run, having beaten Daniel Jacobs (left) in February 2022
Ryder says he is the outnumbered fighter and plans to shock the world on Saturday night
“Whether people think he’s going downhill or not, I want the biggest and best fights. I think we all expected Canelo to go in there and shoot Golovkin out.
“We know that Golovkin is getting along a bit now. He’s been a formidable force for years and he still has that concussion, but I think we all expected Canelo to put on a real show and put it to bed. We didn’t understand that, and then it came out clear about the surgery on his wrist.
“I hope he has had the surgery and he is back to his best because I want to fight the best version of Canelo. I’m going to be the best version of myself on May 6, so I hope he is too. I want to beat Canelo at his best.’
As the fight’s catchphrase “the king is coming home” refers, Canelo’s return to Mexico is a big deal for his country. Their press conference on Wednesday was as much a celebration of the Mexican as an opportunity for the two fighters to come face to face.
Ryder received a polite round of applause, Canelo a hero’s reception. The crowd won’t be too kind to the challenger on Saturday night, however, but the Brit assures they can’t help Canelo in the ring.
“It’s going to be huge,” Ryder explained. “It will be intimidating at times, but I just have to shut that out, channel my energy into that ring. It’s just me and him in there.
“They can be as hard as they want in the stands, but in the end it’s me and him who hit each other. They can’t help him very well.’
Arsenal fan Ryder plans to take the rematch to the Emirates if he is successful on Saturday
If Ryder wants to be successful, the immediate question is, what now? The 34-year-old insists fame and fortune have not crossed his mind, but as an Arsenal fan he already knows where he wants the rematch.
“It’s fight for fight for me now,” said Ryder. “Beat Canelo, I’m sure we’ll get the rematch in the Emirates or Las Vegas and we’ll go from there.
‘I want to hold on to these titles for a while and that will start on May 6.
“Obviously Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) fought Henry Cooper at the old Arsenal stadium, so if I were to be the first headline event at the new stadium it would definitely be a dream come true.”
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