Via Barry Holbrook: John Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) may have claimed his ticket for a life-changing fight against Canelo Alvarez next May with a fifth injury-time win over Zach Parker (22-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
The match was halted after the fourth inning due to a 27-year-old Parker injury to his right hand that halted play.
With the big money fight coming up with Canelo, it’s surprising that Parker didn’t give up and continued the one-handed fight. His left hand is still a weapon to him, but it would be difficult to win without his right hand.
In rounds one through four, Ryder hit the inside and nullified Parker’s powers.
When in action on the outside, Parker is delivering massive blows, but Ryder constantly closes in on him and takes away his ability to take advantage of his punches. Ryder pressed in like glue, not giving Parker the space he needed to unload the bomb.
In the end, Parker lacked the experience to match a moderator like Ryder, and he had no answer for his fighting style.
In Parker’s previous pro matches, he’s been up against lower-level opponents who have failed when he’s hurled big hits at them.
Tonight, Parker looked lost as Ryder didn’t fall in the first three innings, and it was clear that if the game dragged on into the second, he would be out.
After the match, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was excited by Ryder’s win, as he now wants to set up an indoor bout with Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo next May.
Hear ecstatically about Ryder’s victory
“I am very happy for John Ryder. Since he beat Daniel Jacobs [earlier this year], we’ve been looking for this big fight. We didn’t expect it to be Zach Parker, but he put on a great performance.
“That was too much for Zach Parker. I think Zach Parker has injured his hand, but John Ryder has approached him, and I believe he will stop him anyway.
“I already texted [Canelo’s trainer/manager] Eddy Reynoso to say, ‘John Ryder is [WBO] Obligatory; go in May at the Emirates.’ I have a dream for John Ryder, he deserves it, and he’s a very, very good fighter.
“He is now a must-have opponent for Canelo Alvarez. This could be our chance to bring Canelo to the UK. This can be unbelievable, and we’ll see if we can push the limits.”
Result under tag
In the main assist, undefeated WBC silver middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz (17-0, 13 KOs) beat River Wilson-Bent (13-2-1, 6 KOs) by knockout in the second half. . Stop time is at 2:55 of a second.
undefeated WBC international silver lightweight champion Sam Noakes (10-0, 10 KOs) kept his perfect record of knocking out Calvin McCord in the fourth round 12-0, 2 KOs).
In the fourth round, Noakes knocked out McCord four times for the knockout. Stop time is 2:14.
Invincible light heavyweight Pierce O’Leary (11-0, 6 KOs) beat Emmanuel Mungandjela (16-4-1, 7 KOs) by a unanimous decision in 10 rounds to claim the WBC International belt still empty. The umpires scored 99-89, 99-90 and 96-92.
Undefeated bantamweight Dennis McCann (14-0.8 KO) beat Joe Ham 17-4, 6 KO) by knockout in round of 16. Stop time is at 2:28.
