John Ryder (born 19 July 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2010 to 2024. He held an interim super-middleweight world title twice, and challenged twice for full world titles in that weight class, including the undisputed championship. At regional level, he challenged twice for the British middleweight title and once for the British super-middleweight title.

John Ryder
Ryder in 2015
Born (1988-07-19) 19 July 1988 (age 36)
Islington, London, England
Other namesThe Gorilla
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Reach72 in (183 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights39
Wins32
Wins by KO18
Losses7

Amateur career

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As an amateur, Ryder fought for Angel Amateur Boxing Club in his birthplace of Islington, winning 30 fights out of 35.[2]

Professional career

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Ryder turned professional on 10 September 2010, scoring a first-round technical knockout (TKO) against Ben Deghani. Having won his first fifteen fights, Ryder faced fellow undefeated prospect Billy Joe Saunders for his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles on 21 September 2013, losing a close unanimous decision (UD) with scores of 115–113, 115–113 and 115–114 for Saunders.[3] Ryder won his first regional championship—the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title—on 11 October 2014, defeating Theophilus Tetteh via fifth-round TKO.[4] He defended this title once, against Billi Facundo Godoy with a tenth-round TKO.[5]

After Saunders vacated the British middleweight title, a bout was held between top contenders Ryder and Nick Blackwell on 30 May 2015. Ryder was widely ahead on the scorecards when he was stopped on his feet by Blackwell in the seventh round.[6] Ryder bounced back on 30 January 2016, winning his second regional championship—the vacant WBA International middleweight title—with a UD over Sergey Khomitsky.[7]

Ryder defended his WBA International middleweight title against Jack Arnfield on 24 September 2016, losing by UD over twelve rounds.[8]

Ryder rebounded in his next fight, defeating Adam Etches by UD to win the IBF International super-middleweight title.[9]

On 22 April 2017, Ryder moved up to super-middleweight to face Rocky Fielding for the British title but lost on a controversial split decision (SD).[10]

On 5 May 2018, Ryder faced domestic rival Jamie Cox at The O2 Arena on the undercard of the rematch between David Haye and Tony Bellew. In a fight that had a grueling start, both fighters were trading punches from close range early. This led to Ryder dropping Cox in the second round. Cox would not be able to beat the referee's count, although by a tiny margin, earning Ryder the KO victory.[11]

In his next fight, Ryder faced undefeated Russian challenger Andrey Sirotkin. Sirotkin gave Ryder problems early in the fight with his jab. By the time the fight came to the sixth round, Ryder looked like he was gaining control of the fight, hurting Sirotkin with a body shot. The punishment continued in the seventh round, culminating in a right hook to Sirotkin's body, from which the Russian would not recover. Ryder was awarded the KO win in the seventh round.[12]

On the Canelo Álvarez vs. Daniel Jacobs card in Las Vegas in May 2019, Ryder beat Bilal Akkawy by TKO in the third round to win the vacant WBA interim super-middleweight title and put himself in line to challenge Callum Smith for the WBA (Super) and Ring magazine super-middleweight titles.[13]

Following the successful defeat of Akkawy, Ryder fought Callum Smith for the super-middleweight titles in November 2019, losing via UD.[14] Ryder managed to keep Smith on the inside for the beginning rounds. In the third round, Smith was able to impose his will, setting up for right hands with his long jab. Ryder managed to get Smith to fight on the inside again in the fifth round. As the fight went on, frequent clinching slowed the pace down. In the last rounds, Smith looked like he was tired, while Ryder was being the aggressor. Smith managed to land a couple of right hands before the final bell, as Ryder was still charging forward. The judges scored the fight 117–111 and 116–112 twice in favour of Smith, with some media outlets describing the scores as "controversial".[15][16][17][18]

Ryder won the vacant WBO interim super-middleweight title on 26 November 2022 when his opponent, Zach Parker, retired at the start of the fifth-round of their contest at The O2 Arena in London citing an injury to his right hand.[19]

He unsuccessfully challenged unified super-middleweight world champion Canelo Álvarez on 6 May 2023, losing by unanimous decision[20] and then suffered a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Jaime Munguia on 27 January 2024.[21] Ryder announced his retirement from boxing in February 2024.[22]

Professional boxing record

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39 fights 32 wins 7 losses
By knockout 18 2
By decision 13 5
By disqualification 1 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
39 Loss 32–7 Jaime Munguía TKO 9 (12), 1:25 27 Jan 2024 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. For WBC Silver super-middleweight title
38 Loss 32–6 Canelo Álvarez UD 12 6 May 2023 Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico For WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super-middleweight titles
37 Win 32–5 Zach Parker RTD 5 (12), 0:01 26 Nov 2022 The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant WBO interim super-middleweight title
36 Win 31–5 Daniel Jacobs SD 12 12 Feb 2022 Alexandra Palace, London, England
35 Win 30–5 Jozef Jurko TKO 5 (10), 2:33 10 Sep 2021 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria
34 Win 29–5 Mike Guy UD 10 18 Dec 2020 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida, US
33 Loss 28–5 Callum Smith UD 12 23 Nov 2019 M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England For WBA (Super) and The Ring super-middleweight titles
32 Win 28–4 Bilal Akkawy TKO 3 (12), 2:12 4 May 2019 T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US Won vacant WBA interim super-middleweight title
31 Win 27–4 Andrey Sirotkin KO 7 (12), 2:54 27 Oct 2018 Copper Box Arena, London, England
30 Win 26–4 Jamie Cox KO 2 (12), 0:50 5 May 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England
29 Win 25–4 Patrick Nielsen KO 5 (10), 3:00 14 Oct 2017 The SSE Arena Wembley, London, England
28 Loss 24–4 Rocky Fielding SD 12 22 Apr 2017 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England For vacant British super-middleweight title
27 Win 24–3 Adam Etches UD 12 4 Feb 2017 London Olympia, London, England Won vacant IBF International super-middleweight title
26 Loss 23–3 Jack Arnfield UD 12 24 Sep 2016 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Lost WBA International middleweight title
25 Win 23–2 Robert Talarek PTS 6 28 May 2016 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
24 Win 22–2 Sergey Khomitsky UD 12 30 Jan 2016 Copper Box Arena, London, England Won vacant WBA International middleweight title
23 Win 21–2 Adam Jones PTS 6 10 Oct 2015 York Hall, London, England
22 Loss 20–2 Nick Blackwell TKO 7 (12), 2:36 30 May 2015 The O2 Arena, London, England For vacant British middleweight title
21 Win 20–1 Billi Facundo Godoy TKO 10 (12), 1:52 31 Jan 2015 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title
20 Win 19–1 Theophilus Tetteh TKO 5 (10), 2:56 11 Oct 2014 The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title
19 Win 18–1 Ruslans Pojonisevs PTS 6 19 Jul 2014 Camden Centre, London, England
18 Win 17–1 Jez Wilson TKO 9 (10), 1:09 5 Apr 2014 York Hall, London, England
17 Win 16–1 Giorgi Kandelaki PTS 6 15 Mar 2014 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
16 Loss 15–1 Billy Joe Saunders UD 12 21 Sep 2013 Copper Box Arena, London, England For British and Commonwealth middleweight titles
15 Win 15–0 Yoann Bloyer TKO 2 (6), 0:45 13 Jul 2013 Craven Park, Hull, England
14 Win 14–0 Farai Musiyiwa PTS 8 9 Mar 2013 Wembley Arena, London, England
13 Win 13–0 Eamonn O'Kane TKO 8 (10), 1:33 8 Dec 2012 London Olympia, London, England
12 Win 12–0 Sandor Micsko TKO 2 (8), 2:52 8 Sep 2012 Alexandra Palace, London, England
11 Win 11–0 Luke Robinson PTS 8 26 May 2012 Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, England
10 Win 10–0 Alistair Warren PTS 8 17 Mar 2012 Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield, England
9 Win 9–0 Mariusz Biskupski TKO 2 (8), 2:21 28 Jan 2012 York Hall, London, England
8 Win 8–0 Zoran Cvek TKO 3 (10), 2:49 3 Dec 2011 Prince Regent Hotel, Chigwell, England
7 Win 7–0 Luke Osman TKO 2 (6), 2:13 9 Nov 2011 York Hall, London, England
6 Win 6–0 Danny Brown TKO 1 (4), 0:37 8 Oct 2011 York Hall, London, England
5 Win 5–0 Lee Noble PTS 6 30 Apr 2011 London Olympia, London, England
4 Win 4–0 Dalton Miller RTD 2 (4), 3:00 26 Mar 2011 City Limits Pavilion, London, England
3 Win 3–0 Lewis Byrne PTS 4 19 Feb 2011 Wembley Arena, London, England
2 Win 2–0 Sabie Montieth DQ 1 (4), 1:00 4 Dec 2010 York Hall, London, England Montieth disqualified for headbutting
1 Win 1–0 Ben Deghani TKO 1 (4), 1:30 10 Sep 2010 York Hall, London, England

References

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  1. ^ a b DAZN tale of the tape prior to the Canelo Álvarez fight.
  2. ^ "John Ryder set to go pro". Boxing News 24. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Billy Joe Saunders vs. John Ryder: Middleweight Expands Horizons with Latest Win". Bleacher Report.
  4. ^ Brennan, Rob (29 January 2015). "Islington middleweight John Ryder wants a proper fight at the O2 Arena". Islington Gazette. Archant. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. ^ "John Wayne Hibbert and John Ryder earn stoppage victories at the O2 Arena". Sky Sports. Sky. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Nick Blackwell wins British middleweight title with stoppage victory over John Ryder". Sky Sports. Sky. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. ^ "John Ryder revives career with wide points win over Sergey Khomitsky".
  8. ^ Gilbert, Peter (25 September 2016). "Jack Arnfield upsets John Ryder with points victory". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  9. ^ Assuncao, Miguel (4 February 2017). "John Ryder Captures IBF Regional Belt, Defeats Adam Etches". BoxingScene. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  10. ^ Prentice, David (23 April 2017). "Rocky Fielding exorcises demons after attritional scrap with John Ryder". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  11. ^ "John Ryder Knocks Out Jamie Cox in Two Rounds". BoxingScene.com. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. ^ "John Ryder Knocks Out Andrey Sirotkin in Seventh Round". BoxingScene.com. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ Gilbert, Peter (5 May 2019). "Canelo vs Jacobs: John Ryder preserves mandatory status to Calllum Smith's WBA 'Super' title". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  14. ^ Gilbert, Peter (24 November 2019). "Smith vs Ryder: Callum Smith defeats John Ryder to retain WBA crown in homecoming fight". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Callum Smith Overcomes John Ryder With Questionable Scores". BoxingScene.com. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Callum Smith defeats John Ryder to retain world title". The Independent. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  17. ^ Christ, Scott (23 November 2019). "Callum Smith wins questionable decision over John Ryder to retain belt". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  18. ^ Jones, Rich (13 July 2020). "John Ryder says beating Callum Smith to Canelo super fight would be "karma"". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  19. ^ "John Ryder beats Zach Parker at London's O2 Arena to win interim WBO title". BBC Sport. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Canelo Alvarez-John Ryder results: Canelo knocks down, defeats Ryder by decision". ESPN. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Jaime Munguia, seeking shot at Canelo, finishes Ryder in 9th". ESPN. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  22. ^ "England's John Ryder retires after back-to-back losses". ESPN. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Matt Korobov
WBO Inter-Continental
middleweight champion

11 October 2014 – 29 May 2015
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Tommy Langford
Vacant
Title last held by
Tureano Johnson
WBA International
middleweight champion

30 January 2016 – 24 September 2016
Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Stanislav Kashtanov
IBF International
super-middleweight champion

4 February 2017 – October 2017
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Ronny Landaeta
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Vincent Feigenbutz
WBA super-middleweight champion
Interim title

5 May 2019 – 23 November 2019
Failed to win Super title
Vacant
Title next held by
David Morrell
Vacant
Title last held by
Mario Veit
WBO super-middleweight champion
Interim title

22 November 2022 – 6 May 2023
Failed to win world title
Vacant