By Trevor McIntyre: Former IBO super middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. (26-2, 20 KOs) and John Ryder (26-4, 14 KOs) will reportedly be on standby for the finals of the George Groves vs. Callum Smith World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) tournament finals. The recently beaten Eubank Jr. and Ryder would get the call to fill in if either of the current finals needs to pull out, according to KristineBishop.
This is a big step down for the 28-year-old Eubank Jr. to go from fighting in the semifinals of the WBSS tournament to that of a reserve fighter. It’s unclear whether this was a voluntary thing or part of the contract. It’s hard to imagine Eubank Jr. wanting to volunteer to be a potential reserve replacement level fighter for the World Boxing Super Series. It’s four months since Eubank Jr. was trounced by Groves by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision in the semifinals of the WBSS. You would think that Eubank Jr. would have already rescheduled a fight against someone else so that he could bounce back from the loss to Groves.
Groves (28-3, 20 KOs) recently had surgery on his left shoulder after suffering a dislocated shoulder in his semifinals fight in the WBSS against Eubank Jr. on February 17. Groves has subsequently been medically cleared and given the green light to fight in the WBSS finals by the tournament organizers. Still you can never be too sure if he’ll be able to make it through training camp for the fight without suffering a setback. The fight doesn’t a firm date yet, but one is expected to be announced soon by the WBSS tournament organizers. Smith was given clearance as well to fight after suffering an elbow injury during a sparring session.
Ryder, 29, has looked good recently following disappointing losses to Rocky Fielding and Jack Arnfield. Ryder has won his last two fights beating Jamie Cox and Patrick Nielsen. Those wins have resurrected Ryder’s career. Ryder is now ranked #3 WBA and #10 WBC. It would be a great opportunity for Ryder if he’s able to fight Eubank Jr. in the finals of the WBSS, as it would give him some badly needed visibility and a chance to beat one of the top fighters in the 168 lb. weight class. Even if the Eubank Jr. fight doesn’t come off, Ryder is going to eventually get a crack at one of the champions.
Ryder matches up a lot better against WBA ‘regular’ champion Tyron Zeuge and IBF champion James DeGale than he would against Groves, WBC belt holder David Benavidez or WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. Those fighters are perhaps a little too talented for Ryder. But he might be good enough to beat Eubank Jr. if he’s able to fight in a disciplined manner the way Groves did against him, and not get caught up in a war. Eubank Jr. has better hand speed and a superior work rank. Trying to beat Eubank Jr. in a one-on-one war would be a mistake for Ryder. He’s not that type of fighter.