Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) and his management team are banking on a knockout win for him over John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) this Saturday night on January 27th, live on DAZN from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, being the golden ticket to get the Canelo Alvarez fight in May.
Ryder has been picked for three reasons:
1. Comparison to Canelo
2. Non-risky safe choice: Less risk for Munguia
3. Create pressure on Alvarez
Golden Boy’s Canelo Calculation
Golden Boy believes that if Munguia can do a better job of defeating the 35-year-old Ryder than Canelo did last May, the Mexican star will be motivated to use Jaime as his opponent.
The idea behind that would be Canelo wanting to show fans that Munguia isn’t better than him because he’ll have something to prove.
Can Munguia KO Ryder to Punch His Way to Canelo?
“Jaime Munguia will never be mistaken for Pernell Whitaker, but that’s what makes him entertaining. He’s strong and active, and Ryder is a good dance partner. I look forward to this fight,” said boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi to ProBox TV about Saturday night’s clash between John Ryder and Jaime Munguia.
“I saw it more of a litmus test in how Munguia can handle Ryder. He’s coming off a good fight against Canelo Alvarez, where he came on late. He still lost most of the rounds, if not all of them, but he still gave a good challenge to Canelo,” said Chris Algieri.
It could work against Munguia getting the Canelo fight because it looks weak for Jaime to be fighting Ryder with him coming off a loss. The perception was already there that Munguia had been spoon-fed weak opposition his entire career and had never stepped it up for fear of losing.
“I think they’re looking at this like if Munguia can beat Ryder in a more impressive fashion, they can push for the Canelo fight,” said Malignaggi. “But in terms of this fight itself, I like it. John Ryder is a very scrappy guy. He’s very durable, and he’s been in with some top opposition in these weight classes.”
Ryder’s Resilience
“He’s a shorter guy, but he is a true super middleweight. He’s smaller than Munguia, but he’s nicknamed ‘The Gorilla’ for a reason,” said Algieri. “He’s very physical. He’s not the biggest puncher, but he punches hard enough to where he can get your respect.
“I think he needs to have his head on the chest of Munguia in order to be successful. He actually does that really well. Head in his face. Hit him with that third jab that you have, the headbutt.
“His ability to close that distance and get on the inside against Munguia, which is also dangerous because Munguia throws those hands. Munguia had that habit of pulling straight back at times, and use that reaction to get out of the way.
“John does a good job of punching beyond his target, anticipating where his guys are going to go. We saw that against taller guys like Callum Smith and Daniel Jacobs. He was able to punch past them to where they were going and not to where they were.
“If he can hit Munguia on his way out, I think that’s his best path to success,” said Algieri.
Golden Boy’s Gamble
“If Munguia ends up stopping Ryder, which is no easy task. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that he ends up stopping Ryder in this fight. They’re [Golden Boy] going to try and build up that momentum for that Canelo fight,” said Malignaggi.
“I want to say right now that even a stoppage win over Ryder doesn’t give more momentum for the Canelo fight than what Benavidez built up last year [by beating Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade].
“Benavidez has all the momentum for the Canelo fight and is the guy that deserves it regardless of how this fight ends on Saturday night.
“Munguia would play it very well if he’s able to stop Ryder because nobody has been able to do it. I still don’t think that would overtake the momentum that has picked up for a title shot against Canelo,” said Malignaggi.
“Jaime Munguia has got to throw combinations. He’s super aggressive, and he’s fan-friendly,” said Algieri. “I like it when he fights. He’s fun to watch. He’s an all-action guy. He gets hit just enough to make it exciting. It doesn’t matter who he fights.
“His last fight against Derevyanchenko was fantastic. It was ‘Fight of The Year’ stuff. Derevyanchenko is a very talented guy, but he’s 160-pounder. Now, Munguia is fighting a real 168-pounder, but a very different style than Derevyanchenko.
“Derevyanchenko throws a lot more combinations, and he punches with you. Ryder tends to do a lot of ‘You go, I go’ type situations, and he tries to take advantage of gaps. Munguia doesn’t have a lot of gaps.
“He’s a combination puncher. He puts a lot of pressure, and he comes forward. Stylistically, it’s a very tough match-up for John Ryder, and all the guys in the weight class are a tough match-up for John.
“He’s a shorter guy; he’s got to get in. He’s got to work really hard. In the Canelo fight, he took a lot of damage. I think he’s going to take a lot of damage in this fight as well. Does Jaime Munguia stop Ryder? I don’t believe so,” said Algieri.
Munguia Lacks Power
“I don’t think he [Munguia] hits hard enough with any single punch. He’s more of a combination guy,” Algieri said. “His body punching is excellent. He’s a very good body puncher. His left hook to the liver. He was able to drop Derevyanchenko. He’s a very durable guy. That was very impressive.
“If there is a path to get a stoppage, it’s from body shots or overwhelming John Ryder. But John Ryder has been in with some really big punchers, guys like Canelo Alvarez, guys like Callum Smith, and he has not only done well but he’s gotten to the final bell.
“I think we’re going to see a final bell in this one too,” said Algerii about the Munguia vs. Ryder contest on Saturday night.
“I think he’s got to be Munguia. When you’re active enough, you’re going to outwork Ryder,” said Malignaggi on what Munguia needs to do for him to win.
“Ryder is a crafty guy, and I think his craftiness works a lot on trying to diminish your output and making you uncomfortable. As I mentioned, Ryder needs to get in real close and put his head on your chest.
“If he’s able to do that kind of stuff, it diminishes your output because you’re getting smothered, you’re getting head-butted, and he finds his space and crevices for his shots.
“The reality is, he has those shorter arms, and when you have shorter arms, it allows him to open things up at closer range. Munguia likes to exchange and throw those combination punches at middle range.
“He does get hit himself because he likes to fight at middle range, but not with not crazy radar for defense. At the same time, he’s so offensive that he’s able to get the best of his opponents at that range and throw those combinations.
“I find that Munguia will be able to control range enough. Not all the time where it will be rough on the inside, but Ryder will make it competitive,” said Malignaggi.
Munguia vs. Ryder Prediction
A knockout won’t happen for Munguia on Saturday night because he’s not going to be able to land enough shots on Ryder to get him out of there. With that said, Munguia will win a wide twelve-round unanimous decision in this writer’s view.
Ryder is coming off a grueling fight against Canelo last May, and he took too much punishment in that fight to be getting back in the ring with a fighter like Munguia.
