By Kenneth Friedman: British super middleweight John Ryder is working hard to try and get a fight against Canelo Alvarez this September. Ryder (28-5, 16 KOs) has taken to social media to let Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) that he wants to be his opponent for September 12, and he’s not asking for a lot of money.
In a post ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder made on social media on Sunday, he was wearing a “Canelo Alvarez the Champ” shirt in a move that was designed to win over the Mexican star.
It’s going to require more than Ryder attempting to appease Canelo for him to get a fight with him. Canelo needs an opponent that DAZN will agree to, as they’re paying him $33 million for his September 12 fight.
They need new subscribers, and Ryder might not be popular enough to move the need to accomplish that goal. If this were the UK, then Ryder would be an opponent that DAZN likely would agree to for the fight. In the U.S, Canelo must choose someone that the American boxing fans have heard of and want to see.
Canelo hasn’t decided yet
Ryder wants the fight so badly that he’s even wearing a Canelo shirt. That might be going a little overboard for Ryder, but if he thinks it’ll work, what can you say? Ryder is just one of a large bunch of fighters that Canelo’s promoters at Golden Boy are considering for his next fight.
Ryder will have it tough trying to get the fight with Canelo because he’s not popular, and he’s coming off of a loss.
Earlier this week, Ryder posted on Twitter, volunteering to be Canelo’s next opponent. Ryder wants to fill the vacancy left open after Billy Joe Saunders backed out of consideration after complaining about there not being enough time to get ready. Saunders’ cheeks look plump like a woodchuck that has got a month full of wood.
Billy Joe, who Oscar De La Hoya calls “Sounders,” clearly has been eating well during the lockdown. With the weight that Sounders has put on, he needs ten interrupted weeks of training to prepare for Canelo, and he won’t get that. As a result, Saunders says he doesn’t want the fight with Alvarez.
View this post on Instagram
Only one fight on my mind. Dream it, believe it, achieve it. #TheGorilla 🦍 #CaneloVsRyder
Ryder, 31, won over a lot of new boxing fans from his recent controversial 12 round decision loss to WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith last November in Liverpool, England.
Ryder trying too hard
Although much weaker than Callum, Ryder did an excellent job of pressuring Callum and getting inside to work on his body and head. Ryder was throwing so many shots that he was able to do a lot of damage to Smith’s face.
It would be a good idea for Ryder to tone down his attempts at buttering up Canelo by wearing his t-shirts around. That makes Ryder look like he’s begging for the fight, and needy to the extreme. Golden Boy already knows that Ryder is interested in the fight, but they’ll make their decision based on several areas.
They’ll want to get the most popular opponent possible for Canelo at an affordable price. Ryder’s lack of popularity will hurt his chances for a fight with Canelo because not enough Americans know who he is.
“I’m good for September if you need some1 in the opposite corner,” said Ryder in a Tweet to Canelo.
“He’s looking for an opponent, and I know the money is not there for these big shows. It’s a chance in a lifetime, I’m up for it,” said Ryder to skysports.com about Canelo.
