John Ryder has heard and read a lot throughout the buildup toward his fight with Jaime Munguia about Munguia possibly challenging Canelo Alvarez next.
Ryder recognizes just how much of a distraction that could become because the British southpaw fought boxing’s biggest star 8½ months ago at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, near Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara. London’s Ryder senses Munguia might not be fully focused on their 12-round super middleweight fight Saturday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
“Potentially,” Ryder replied during a press conference Thursday when he was asked about Munguia overlooking him. “But it’s at their cost. It’s a silly move to make.”
Ryder is 35, but he is a rare left-handed opponent for Munguia, who will fight for the first time with renowned trainer Freddie Roach in his corner. The English underdog has also boxed better opposition overall than Munguia.
In addition to Alvarez, boxing’s undisputed super middleweight champion, Ryder defeated former IBF/WBA middleweight champ Daniel Jacobs (37-4, 30 KOs) by split decision and then-unbeaten Brit Zach Parker (23-1, 17 KOs) by technical knockout in back-to-back bouts in 2022 to help secure his shot at Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound crowns. Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) previously lost close 12-round decisions to former WBA super middleweight champ Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) and ex-WBO middleweight and super middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 KOs).
The proven Ryder represents a second straight difficult foe for Tijuana’s Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) following three straight knockouts of lesser opposition in 2022.
Munguia managed to fend off tough, skilled Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his last fight, a memorable battle that earned “Fight of the Year” recognition from krikya360.com and other outlets for 2023. The 27-year-old Munguia needed a 12th-round knockdown of Derevyanchenko (14-5, 10 KOs) to avoid a majority draw, as judges Rudy Barragan (114-113) and Fernando Villarreal (114-113) scored him a one-point winner of their fan-friendly 12-rounder June 10 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
“We wanted a challenge and we know John Ryder is a big challenge,” Munguia said during the press conference Thursday. “And like I said, Jaime Munguia is ready and we signed [for this fight] as fast as we could.”
A win by Munguia, who is listed as a 3-1 favorite by most sportsbooks, could propel him to a lucrative shot at Alvarez’s titles May 4. Ryder obviously has plans of his own, including what is an improbable rematch with Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs).
“I always thought [fighting Munguia] was a step in the right direction,” Ryder said. “And after the Canelo defeat it’s a fight that I need more than ever to keep me at this level, keep me operating and keep my world title dreams and aspirations alive.”
DAZN’s coverage of the main Munguia-Ryder undercard fights is set to start at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Puerto Rican southpaw Oscar Collazo (8-0, 6 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBO mini-flyweight title against Nicaragua’s Reyneris Gutierrez (10-1, 2 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.