By Barry Holbrook: John Ryder weighed 167 pounds, while Zach Parker came in at 167.3 lbs for their fight for the vacant interim WBO super middleweight title this Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London (live on ESPN / BT Sport).
(Photo credit: Queensberry Promotions)
Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, there’s a strong possibility that the winner of the Ryder-Parker fight will face undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez next May in the U.S.
Ryder (31-5, 17 KOs) would have a better chance of getting the Canelo fight if he’s victorious on Saturday night than Parker (22-0, 16 KOs).
“We’re going to do the job on Saturday night. It doesn’t matter with the trash-talking,” said John Ryder to iD Boxing. “It’s the best at the moment,” Ryder said about his fight with Parker.
Undercard weights
Hamzah Sheeraz 159.3 lbs vs. River Wilson-Bent 159.7 lbs
Sam Noakes 134.6 lbs vs. Calvin McCord 135 lbs
Dennis McCann 121.4 lbs vs. Joe Ham 121.5 lbs.
Pierce O’Leary 139.5 lbs vs. Emmanuel Mungandjela 139.9 lbs
Tommy Fletcher 201 lbs vs. Jiri Krejci 197.6 lbs
Sonny Liston Ali 145.9 lbs vs. Georgi Velichkov 144 lbs
Ryder not worried
“I give him [Parker] full credit. He’s 22-0, and he hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. Listen, he hasn’t mixed it at the level that I have. I’ve been in with champions and former champions, and future champions.
“He’s relatively untested,” said Ryder about Zach. “He’s got a win over Vaughn Alexandr [17-6-1, 10 KOs), who has been up at light heavyweight, but it a career middleweight. Marcus Morrison is a career middleweight. We’ll see.
“He says I’m small for a super middleweight. We’ll see on Saturday night. I rate the opportunity of going against bigger opponents. Listen, he’s not the biggest I’ve fought, so I’m not worried,” said Ryder about Parker.
“Obviously, the David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant fight is going ahead. I think for myself moving ahead, this was the best opportunity. There were talks of the Munguia fight, but the prospects of the WBO interim title really trumps that.
“It’s a good opportunity. Go and get the win on Saturday night. There are still other big fights to make for this title. Everything is tied up at the moment, but in time, it can change. In the meantime, you can still make some defenses with the [WBO] interim title,” said Ryder.
“I think I’m quite good, and I’m underrated. I’ve got a lot to achieve in this sport. Watch this space come Saturday night,” said John Ryder to Behind The Gloves about his fight with Zach Parker for the interim WBO super middleweight title this Saturday.
PARKER VS. RYDER FIGHT DATE, START TIME
- Date: Saturday, November 26
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. GMT
- The fight takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England.
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. GMT
- US coverage is available live on ESPN+, while those in the UK can watch on BT Sport.
- The main card is set to get underway at 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. GMT with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 5 p.m. ET in the U.S., and 10 p.m.