By Sean Jones: John Ryder hopes to face former middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin at 168 in November or December.
Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) feels that a match against the recently beaten 41-year-old Golovkin would interest him and the boxing public.
GGG has lost some hand speed in the last few years but remains powerful and dangerous. He likely would have won his last fight against Canelo if he’d started pressuring him earlier in the contest instead of waiting until the sixth round.
Against Ryder, Golovkin would be on a seak & destroy mission, applying constant pressure and chopping away at him with huge shots to the head until he crumbles. Canelo couldn’t knock out Ryder, and neither could Callum Smith. He can take a good punch, but Golovkin would likely get to him, leaving him in a pile on the canvas.
Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) has been keeping a low profile since his loss to Canelo in their trilogy fight in September of last year, and it’s questionable whether he’d agree to face the 35-year-old Ryder, who isn’t well-known in the U.S.
The type of opponents that Golovkin would need to sell on PPV in the U.S. are these guys:
- Charlo twins
- David Benavidez
- Terence Crawford
- Caleb Plant
- Dmitry Bivol
A fight between Golovkin & Ryder wouldn’t sell on PPV in America. So whoever puts that fight together might not turn a profit. Golovkin is already wealthy and does not need a payday against an obscure fighter from the UK.
“I’m hoping November, December time. There were talks of Golovkin and Munguia. I’m just in this for the biggest and the best fights that I can get and stick around for a couple of other fights. I’m fight by fight at the moment,” said John Ryder to iFL TV.
“His timing & speed might not be there, but his power is always going to be there. So he’s always going to be a dangerous opponent,” Ryder said about the 41-year-old Golovkin.
“I think in previous years, we’ve seen a slight decline [in Golovkin] with the Canelo loss. Listen, it’s the end of the hard three fights. He’s been a great champion and ambassador of the sport. For me, as a fan, it would be an honor to share the ring with him. I’d go in there and want to do a job.
“It would have to be at 168. I might get to 167 at a push,” said Ryder when asked what weight he’d fight Golovkin. “I’ll have to cut a leg off to get any smaller than that. I’m not going to cut a leg off for no one. So, we’ll have to do it at 168.”
