The last time we saw John Ryder on a big stage, in November 2019, he ended up on the wrong end of a disputed decision against then-168-pound titleholder Callum Smith in Liverpool, England.
The Londoner has his first important fight since that disappointment on Saturday in his hometown, where he’ll face former middleweight titleholder Daniel Jacobs.
The fight will be streamed on DAZN.
“It feels like it’s a long time coming,” Ryder said at the final news conference before the fight at Alexandra Palace. “COVID messed everything up. It’s about putting things right now.”
“It doesn’t get much bigger than this for me,” he added.
Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs) rebounded from the loss to Smith – who went on to lose his belt to Canelo Alvarez – by defeating two journeymen, Mike Guy in December 2020 and Jozef Jurko this past September.
That kept him busy while his handlers tried to procure him a meaningful fight. And his patience has paid off.
Of course, he would’ve preferred to challenge undisputed champion Alvarez but landing a fight with the Mexican star is like winning the lottery. Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) is an excellent consolation. A victory over the respected Brooklyn veteran would be the biggest of his career and bring him closer to goal of getting a second shot at a super middleweight belt.
And the fact he might not get many more such opportunities is not lost on him and his team.
“It’s a must win,” said Charlie Sims, Ryder’s manager. “John wants to go on and win world titles and Danny Jacobs is the man in the way. John knows he has to put in a career-best performance to win and that’s what he’s planning to do.”
Indeed, the fight is being billed as make-or-break for both men. Jacobs is coming off a shaky performance against Gabriel Rosado in November 2020, winning a split decision.
However, Ryder wouldn’t bite when it was suggested to him that the loser of the bout on Saturday night might be finished as elite super middleweight. Win or lose, he made it clear that he has more to accomplish.
“At 33 I’m not ready to retire,” he said. “I want to keep going. I want to have a few more years in this sport and a few more years of big fights and world title fights and getting what I deserve out of this sport.”
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