WBO No.1 and 2 super-middles clash in highly anticipated domestic showdown
WBO #1 Zach Parker (22-0, 16KO) and WBO #2 John Ryder (31-5, 17KO) will clash for the WBO Interim super-middleweight title on Saturday, November 26 at the O2 Arena in London, live on BT Sport.
The winner will be able to force a fight with pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez. Parker having seen two dates with Demetrius Andrade go up in smoke, and Ryder being cheated out of a world title against Callum Smith, means both these boxers deserve any success they get.
Ryder will be 28-year-old Parker’s biggest test in his 23-fight, seven-year career. His last big test came against fellow Brit Darryll Williams, which he came through on a split decision win to claim the British super-middleweight title. However, one judge scored the contest 115-113 to Williams, who was applying educated pressure with big bombs all through the contest. He hurt Parker to head and body, who just couldn’t keep him at bay, and completely dominated the first half of the bout. He slowed down in the championship rounds where switch-hitter Parker managed to pick him off from the outside in his southpaw stance, but was still caught often. Rounds 11 and 12 were clear Parker rounds, but the rest, or at least the majority, of the other rounds belonged to Williams. It was a tight fight, fought in close range, so was always going to be close, but Williams was still the clear winner.
Those 12 rounds will be invaluable for this fight with Ryder, who will also bring educated and sustained pressure with the ambition to fighting on the inside.
Trained by Tony Sims, 34-year-old Ryder is an experienced pressure fighter with excellent inside work. He comes in to close the gap like a hunched silverback, which is why he has earned the nickname ‘Gorilla’.
His career has so far been defined by controversial decisions. Against Billy Joe Saunders in 2013, when Ryder was 15-0, he pushed the future two-weight world champion further than anyone else managed, until Canelo met him in 2021, in a points defeat that many still believe Ryder should have won. Then, in 2019, he challenged Callum Smith for his WBA Super title, which every single spectator – except for scousers – scored to Ryder, but was cruelly denied victory by all three ringside judges.
Another controversial decision, but this time going in his favour, was his previous victory over Daniel Jacobs, in February this year, which was a competitive contest that could have been scored either way. The ‘Miracle Man’ started brightly but home fighter Ryder rallied back once he found his rhythm and really let the two-time middleweight champion from Brooklyn have it from round seven onwards, dominating and outpunching him clearly. Was that enough to deserve the nod? Depends on how you viewed the fight, but this was certainly a debateable decision.
One thing to take from that showing from Ryder is that he may take a few rounds to suss Parker out, but at some point, hopefully not as late as the sixth and seventh rounds, he will make his way into the inside to get into his groove and dominate. On a slightly less positive note, it has to be acknowledged that whilst 35-year-old Jacobs looked good early on, he did fade because he is not the same formidable fighter that once gave Golovkin and Canelo one of their hardest ever battles, which was well over three years ago now.
Parker, at 6ft with a 74in reach, believes his superior size will prove the difference but Ryder has fought bigger men most of his career, so this won’t be a key factor against Ryder, who stands at 5ft 9in and giving away 2in in reach. His inferior size didn’t affect him against Callum Smith, who is 3in taller than Parker.
The Derbyshire man switches stance, which is a nightmare for any opponent to deal with. Switch-hitting constantly keeps your opponent thinking, which is mentally draining and also frustrating to deal with. However, Ryder is a southpaw himself, so this won’t affect him in the same way it would concern an orthodox fighter.
The key factors Parker does have that will provide him with an advantage is his greater power. Ryder has knocked a few opponents out, but he doesn’t possess the same killer instinct that Parker has, who’s knocked out his last five foes.
The man from Swadlincote is also unbeaten and will have extreme confidence and momentum to take into this bout. Even if he finds Ryder a tough cookie from the off, he will still be in there fighting back, like he was with Williams.
Ryder’s best assets will be his vaster experience and schooling. He has been with better opponents than Parker –Daniel Jacobs, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders – and has fought for a longer time at the higher levels. Parker’s resume is questionable. To be fair, he has called for bigger fights and been unlucky not to get them, namely Andrade and Canelo, so all he can do is beat the men in front of him, which is a task he has taken care of.
In terms of their styles, we all know that Ryder will aim to close the gap and get in close to fight on the inside with Parker, which would be a battle he should win. Parker has shown his resilience and heart in the Williams match, where he took some big shots and stood firm under such immense pressure for the entire fight.
Parker will endeavour to use his size and strength to keep Ryder on the end of his punches where he can jab away and line up bigger shots when he can. Despite being an excellent body puncher, his height might prove difficult to lean in low and land to Ryder’s body, which is something Smith visibly struggled with too.
Betting Odds
The odds favour the Queensberry home fighter Parker to win at 4/9 with Betway, while Ryder is the underdog yet again at 7/4, and the odds for a draw are very low at 14/1.
Predictions
Trainer Tony Sims will equip his 168lbs charge with the perfect game plan, so I predict the seasoned John Ryder to win via a close points decision, which could be either a mixed or split verdict.
