OPINION
You might’ve heard that North Londoner John Ryder gave the performance of his life against hometown favorite and titleholder Callum Smith on Saturday in Liverpool. You might’ve also heard that it didn’t matter one iota. After 12 rounds, the judges gave Smith a clean sweep: 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112.
It was boxing’s latest mind-numbing deviation from reality.
Though the early rounds were nip and tuck, Ryder outworked and outlanded Smith for the majority of the second half of the fight, pushing his taller foe up against the ropes and ripping shots to the body and head. Not all of them landed, but some of the got through cleanly. Ryder was the aggressor and, more importantly, the more effective fighter. If Smith was supposed to be the best super middleweight in the world, he certainly did not look it that night. Moreover he had no answer for Ryder’s inside game. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for the challenger. Scorekeeping is subjective, sure, but to an extent. The official outcome seemed like a willful distortion of what actually took place in the ring.
The sensible thing to do would be for the organizers to arrange a rematch. Not going to happen, according to Smith’s trainer and manger John Gallagher.
“It was a good performance (from Ryder),” Gallagher quipped during the post-fight press conference, “but it doesn’t warrant a rematch.”
Gallagher was adamant that his man won comfortably.
“Callum Smith did a good fight tonight, and he held off the challenge from the mandatory,” Gallagher said. “… I think (Smith) lost one in the first six or seven (rounds). … John had a couple of good rounds in the middle, and Callum came back at the end. I had it 8-4 at the end of the bell, something like that. At least seven rounds.”
Did Gallagher forget that it was Smith who had his back against the ropes in Round 12, bowing under the weight of Ryder’s combinations?
When a reporter mentioned that Ryder and his team would be pushing for a rematch, Gallagher scoffed.
“He’s fought, he’s won. It was his mandatory,” Gallagher said. “Now he’s got to move on. There are some good domestic fights (for Ryder) after that performance. John Ryder-Rocky Fielding II, that’s unfinished business there. That two fighters there, if Canelo (Alvarez) gives up his regular belt, they can fight for that.”
In other words, thanks for your effort, John, but back to the kiddie pool you go. The condescension continued, with Smith implying, quite ludicrously, that his poor performance was a result of Ryder not instilling any sense of fear in him.
“Fear brings out the best in me,” Smith said. “People are going to see how good I am when I’m in against the very best.”
For Smith, it’s off to bigger and better things, like a potential clash with Alvarez.
If Ryder expected to get a helping hand from his own promoter, Eddie Hearn, who also promotes Smith, he didn’t get it. Asked by Gallagher if he planned to petition the WBA, which sanctioned the bout, on Ryder’s behalf, Hearn replied, “It’s not up to me to appeal to the WBA, Joe. But I agree with you. I think (Ryder) should fight for one of the regular belts.”
Who needs enemies when you have friends like Hearn?
The collective comments reveal once more the brutal hierarchy of professional boxing. The A-side Smith will always get the benefit of the doubt and move on to bigger things, while the B-side, even on their best nights, end up having to go back to the drawing board. It’s a crying shame.
And Ryder is more familiar with the proverbial drawing board than most. He came up short in controversial losses to Rocky Fielding, Jack Arnfied and Billy Joe Saunders, a fight many observers felt Ryder did enough to win. Ryder was also dominating Nick Blackwell before he got caught with a shot in the seventh round. In other words, Ryder is better than what his record of 28-5 might indicate.
To his credit, Ryder stayed composed and professional during his post-fight interview on Saturday night. He felt he won the fight and that the scorecards were a bit wide, but he didn’t go off on a tirade about corruption in the sport. Not that anyone watching would have begrudged him for it.
In the end, it was the Callum Smith show, and Gallagher was not going to entertain another bad word.
“I’d also like to say there’s too much negativity,” Gallagher said. “We’ve got to be celebrating Callum Smith tonight. He fought his mandatory, knocked back the challenger John Ryder, won it, no matter what they say. It’s been 11 years since a British fighter defended the Ring Magazine belt in this country, Hatton, before that Calzaghe. You guys stop being so negative on the kid. He should be getting rounds of applause here.”
Applause and a large rug to sweep the night under.