Surprisingly, John Ryder says Canelo Alvarez, Callum Smith, and Daniel Jacobs weren’t the biggest punchers he’s fought during his 14-year professional career.
According to Ryder, the biggest puncher he faced was Nick Blackwell (19-4-1, 8 KOs), who knocked him out in the seventh round in May 2015.
Blackwell’s Bite
It’s difficult to believe that Blackwell, with his career 42% KO rate, is a bigger puncher than Canelo, Jacobs, or Callum Smith, but that’s what Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) says.
Looking back at the fight, Blackwell caught Ryder with a right hand in the seventh round when he was throwing a combination.
The shot badly hurt Ryder, who was defenseless for the follow-up barrage of punches from Blackwell. Referee Howard Foster jumped in and halted the fight to save Ryder, who was getting nailed at will by Blackwell.
There were still 24 seconds left in the seventh round, making it unlikely that Ryder would have escaped without getting finished off by Blackwell.
The punches Blackwell threw didn’t look more powerful than the ones Callum Smith, Canelo, or Jacobs threw in their fights with Ryder. In those fights, Ryder wasn’t as reckless as he was against Blackwell.
Beyond the Big Names
“It’s tough; I’ve been in there with some big punchers. Obviously, Nick Blackwell is the man who has a stoppage over me. It was a good shot to the temple that done me and a good body shot,” said Ryder to talkSPORT Boxing when asked who is the biggest puncher he’s fought during his professional career.”
It was the perfect shot that Blackwell landed to hurt Ryder in the seventh round, and he followed up well with an avalanche of punches to finish off ‘The Gorilla.’ Blackwell wouldn’t allow Ryder to recover.
“I’ve been in there with a lot of [other] good punchers. Callum Smith was a formidable big puncher. Rocky Fielding could whack a bit. Patrick Nielsen had a good reputation. Sergey Khomitsky was a Brit basher who could whack as well.”
Ryder is fighting this Saturday night against former WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) in a 12-round headliner at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The event will be shown live on DAZN starting at 9:00 p.m. ET. If Ryder wins, he’ll be in position for a rematch against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
