Zach Parker injured during bout with John Ryder
A competitive bout was brough to the end in the fifth round after Zach Parker was unable to continue due to a hand injury against John Ryder, who is now the WBO mandatory to Canelo Alvarez.
Ryder claims the interim WBO super middleweight title with the win, and positions himself as the WBO mandatory challenger to undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (58-2-2, 39KOs).
“I thought the tide was starting to turn and I was getting more on top,” Ryder said after the win. “These things happen in boxing. It was a bad injury for him but it feels like a robbery of a victory for me. It’s just one of those things.”
Taller man Parker used his height and reach to keep Ryder at the end of his punches in a competitive opening round. The experienced Ryder, seven years Parker's senior, used feints to set up his left hand, though 28-year-old Parker was prepared for the tactic. The unbeaten super middleweight contender from Derbyshire stunted the 35-year-old Londoner’s attack by constantly switching stance.
Ryder sought to impose his will in round two. He briefly paid the price, as he was caught by Parker. Action remained at a moderate pace, which Ryder attempted to exploit with his mauling style. Parker successfully spun his way out of a clinch and then responded with a straight left hand from long range from his southpaw stance.
Neither man managed to get into an offensive rhythm in round three. Woodville warrior Parker landed a pair of power shots late in the round, neither of which caused much damage although Ryder was forced back on the defensive. The Islington man managed a stiff right jab at the bell but left without time to properly follow up on the sequence.
WBO #1 Parker found success with singular shots early in round four. However, it was the shot he didn’t land—a right uppercut picked off by Ryder’s gloves—that proved to be the most damaging blow.
“I’m obviously gutted,” said a dejected Parker. “It was a f*cking uppercut at the start of the (fourth) round. You could see how bad it’s hurt now. I’m gutted but I hope he goes on to good things. I’ll obviously come back stronger.”
Constant movement from the East Midlander provided opportunities to land with his lead left hands and double up on his jab. Ryder was eventually able to time his mobile foe, cutting off the ring and landing a straight left hand. Time was called to reinsert Parker’s dislodged mouthpiece, though Ryder managed another left hand before the bell.
It was the last punch thrown in the fight.
The bell sounded to begin round five, at which point it was learned that Parker was done for the night. Ryder felt the momentum was riding in his favor, only to learn of Parker’s demise.
Parker fell to 22-1 (16KOs) with the defeat, adding to a bitter 2022 campaign that saw two separate failed attempts at securing a fight with Demetrius Andrade. Both fight attempts—including the canceled May 21 event due to an Andrade shoulder injury—would have come with the interim WBO title at stake.
The fallouts resulted in a 55-week ring absence, with Saturday’s defeat also ending a near three-year stay as the number-one ranked WBO super middleweight contender.
“It was warming up into a good fight,” noted Parker, who faced his first career southpaw.
Parker led 39-37 on two scorecards, with the fight scored even at 38-38 even on the third card.
Ryder improved to 32-5 (18KOs) with the win, capping a terrific 2022 campaign. The 35-year-old enjoys a four-fight win streak since a disputed twelve-round, unanimous decision to then-unbeaten WBA super middleweight titlist Callum Smith in November 2019. He entered the year with a twelve-round nod over former IBF middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs on February 12 in Muswell Hill, London and now leaves The O2 with his biggest domestic win and—should the WBO next enforce his mandatory status—boxing’s equivalent of hitting the jackpot.
Current WBO rules state that Alvarez has until May 18, 2023 to honor his mandatory title defense. The Mexican superstar has seen five of his past six fights presented by Matchroom Boxing, who promotes Ryder.
“I’m standing pretty now,” stated Ryder. “It would be a dream to fight Canelo on Cinco de Mayo… whenever or wherever. It’s a great win for me. This is where I want to be, whether to fight Canelo for any of the four belts, so be it.”
"Zach started well, got behind the job well and was peppering me a bit there," reacted Ryder afterwards. "I felt like the tide might be starting to turn and I was getting more on top, but these things happen in boxing. It is a bad injury for him and it feels like half a robbery victory for me."
"Obviously I am absolutely gutted," added Parker. "It was at the start of the round, I hit him with an uppercut and you can see from my hand that it is out now. He is obviously a good lad who will go on and do good things in boxing and I will come back stronger.
"I was warming into the fight and it was becoming a good fight. When the injury happened at the start of that last round I kept having to move because every time I jabbed him it was hurting and clicking."
Hamzah Sheeraz is the new Commonwealth middleweight champion and still WBC Silver title holder following a brutal destruction of River Wilson-Bent.
Sheeraz, now 17-0, set about his Coventry opponent right from the off with spearing jabs to which Wilson-Bent had no reply. Sheeraz's dominance extended into the second round and Wilson-Bent was put down and referee Victor Loughlin decided he had seen enough with 2.55 on the clock.
A blitz of body shots from Sam Noakes in the fourth round saw the Maidstone man realise his goal of a perfect 10 wins and 10 KOs with the stoppage of the previously unbeaten Calvin McCord to win the Commonwealth lightweight title.
It was also a defence of Noakes' WBC International Silver belt and, after pretty much dominating the first three, the 25-year-old went for the jugular in the fourth and McCord went to the canvas on four occasions before referee Victor Loughlin had seen enough after 2.14 of the round.
Dennis McCann is the new Commonwealth super bantamweight champion following a systematic breaking down of Joe Ham.
In what was a mature performance, The Menace was more measured and patient in his work from his typically wide stance. Ham had few answers and was in trouble on each occasion McCann chose to let his hands go in the fourth, fifth and eighth.
The eighth turned out to be the last when a right uppercut stunned the Scot and the follow-up assault convinced referee Marcus McDonnell to wave it off with 2.28 on the clock.
McCann moves to 14-0 and a third professional title following on from his WBO Youth and WBC International Silver successes.
'Big Bang' Pierce O'Leary won his first professional title – the WBC International super lightweight belt – with a rugged, hard-fought victory over Emmanuel Mungandjela.
The Dubliner moved to 11-0 and, at first, it looked like it might be a speedy night's work when a massive right from O'Leary saw the Namibian touch down.
Mungandjela, while for the most part being overwhelmed, still chose to engage in a firefight and O'Leary took more shots than his trainer Alan Smith would have liked. He actually recovered well in the fifth round and enjoyed some success, but then ended up grounded again just before the bell following a left hook topping up a big right.#
Mungandjela continued to show remarkable defiance and bravery, looking like he might be out in the ninth when he was rocked again by the right hand of O'Leary. He saw it through until the end when the scorecards read 99-90, 99-89 and an unlikely 96-92.
Tommy Fletcher made it a professional treble with a win in his third fight against Jiri Krejci. He also made quick work of his Czech opponent and the fight was over when the Norfolk Nightmare ripped in a short and devastating left uppercut that left Krejci out for the count after 2.19 of round one.
Sonny Liston Ali successfully negotiated his fifth professional fight and comfortably outpointed Georgi Velichkov, winning all six rounds.
