By Dan Ambrose: Eddie Hearn would like for John Ryder to face former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin next after a competitive twelve round loss to Canelo Alvarez last Saturday night in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Ryder would have many problems dealing with Golovkin’s power and excellent jab. Unlike Canelo, Golovkin wouldn’t fade in the second half, so that Ryder would be dealing with his enormous shots for twelve rounds.
Golovkin is coming off a close decision loss to Canelo last September in their trilogy. It wasn’t an overly impressive performance by the 41-year-old Golovkin, who fought defensively for the first six rounds and then took over the contest in the second half after Canelo emptied his gas tank.
In hindsight, Golovkin could have won the fight if he’d fought aggressively in the first six rounds instead of boxing Canelo.
Hearn feels that Ryder’s stock rose in defeat due to his excellent showing in losing a fight that was scored in a lopsided manner by the three judges that worked the Canelo fight at the Estadio Akron stadium.
It’s questionable whether Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) would see a fight against 34-year-old Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) as an appealing option, as he could arguably make more money by facing Jermall Charlo, Jaime Munguia, David Benavidez or Caleb Plant.
Ryder will need to take time to heal from his broken nose, so he’s not likely to jump straight back into the ring against a huge puncher like Golovkin.
“I think his stock rises in defeat. He was well-beaten, but he was competitive, especially in the backend of the fight,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about what’s next for John Ryder after his loss to Canelo Alvarez.
“I think he’ll be looking now. He obviously made a lot of money tonight, which is, first and foremost, he deserves that. But I think he’s going to build from the experience and learn from it.
“He’s not a spring chicken, but he’s getting better and better. I think afteer a good rest; we’ll see what’s next. The WBA’s Gilberto Mendoza came up to me today and said, ‘We’re going to stick him right back on top of the rankings. It was a great performance, and we don’t think he should be dropped down in the rankings.’
“So, like you say, his stock has risen, and there are some big fights out there for him, but again, a tough defeat and a taxing defeat physically. So we’ll have to see how he recovers and what he wants to do next.
“Gennadiy Golovkin,” said Hearn when asked who he feels is a possible next opponent for Ryder. “You’ve got other fights coming up now. There are a lot of vacant titles up for grabs at middleweight. John’s name now and profile has risen in America.
“I think he’ll [Golovkin] be looking for fights. It’s just a name off the top of the tongue. Honestly, at the moment, I’m not looking for that.
“He could land a fight against a big-name American. [Jermall] Charlo, [Demetrius] Andrade, I know he’s looking to fight, so who knows?
“When you go twelve rounds with Canelo Alvarez, there will always be some people that will want to fight John Ryder to see if they can stop him to make a statement against Canelo Alvarez.
“We’re not looking to be anyone’s statement, but if John wants to continue, I think there are big opportunities for him,” said Hearn.
