Canelo is a name that everyone in boxing knows. The Mexican has dominated the sport, and specifically the super middleweight division, for years and is now considered one of the greatest fighters of this generation.
Defeating him is a difficult task, with only Floyd Mayweather Jr and Dmitry Bivol doing so, but John Ryder claims he will be the next man to pick up the W against the Mexican.
Ryder, 34, hails from London, England, and has so far won thirty-two bouts, scoring eighteen knockouts, while being defeated on five occasions and stopped once. So the task ahead looks like an incredibly difficult one. Ryder earned his shot after positioning himself as Canelo’s WBO mandatory, and it makes sense to take the chance as The Gorilla is now in the twilight of his career, and he more than likely won’t get the opportunity to take on the undisputed champion again.
Of course, beating Canelo would catapult Ryder to the top of boxing in some ways, but what comes with it could be life-changing. The Londoner has the potential to dominate the weight category after a good win, which would be huge financially, and he could even look forward to more lucrative sponsorships as well as business opportunities, from sports brand deals to boxing-themed online slots games; it could really set him and his family up for generations, but how is he going to do it?
First of all, it’s having the belief that Ryder clearly has, regardless of the defeats on his record. And he knows what’s at stake and is motivated to win because he recognises that it would be life-changing for him and his family. But this is Canelo we’re talking about, and Canelo doesn’t lose at super middleweight, the division he’s the undisputed king of and seemingly now unbeatable in.
Ryder’s strategy centres on stopping the Mexican from being able to go about his business in typical fashion while also being prepared to get hit in order to land crucial shots. Ryder is well aware, for example, of how dangerous Canelo’s hooks to the body can be, and he plans to negate this threat by cutting off angle, utilising feints and taking steps backwards or to the side.
Ryder also suggests that he’s going to have to suffocate Canelo and his offence as much as possible, and this, along with allowing himself to take some necessary blows now and again, will enable him to get his own shots of which could be one of the keys to success for him upsetting the odds and shocking the world. But staying one step ahead where possible, and if possible, will be crucial.
As everyone will expect, Canelo goes into this one as the heavy favourite and many will see it as another night at the office before a rematch against Bivol, only the second man to defeat the super middleweight king, is made. But as proven many times, anything can happen in the sport of boxing, and there may be a shock on the cards in Guadalajara, however unlikely it may seem.