John Ryder had the type of story that movie scripts are made out of. He was never the most talented guy around, but he worked harder than most. That work ethic allowed him to win his first 15 fights. However, when he was asked to step up, he often failed.
A loss to Billy Joe Saunders was nothing to be ashamed of but shortcomings against Nick Blackwell, Jack Arnfield, and Rocky Fielding solidified him as a solid contender but someone who would never get over the hump. But just when his placement in boxing’s purgatory was finalized, he got on a hot streak.
Wins over Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker pushed him to a showdown against Canelo Alvarez. But, despite looking as good as ever, the pound-for-pound star was expected to run over him. To a certain extent, Alvarez did, winning a wide decision but he did have a few hirsute moments.
Against Jaime Munguia this past weekend, nevertheless, his handlers, including Bernard Hopkins, were expecting him to get the job done but a walk in the park? Not necessarily. Yet, with Munguia dropping him on four separate occasions, Ryder was taken care of with relative ease.
Still, even with Munguia looking sharp, his naysayers have a ton to say. Hopkins though, doesn’t believe he has to bloviate loudly to defend his man. Just simply go back and take a look at Alvarez’s face after sharing the ring with Ryder for 36 minutes and compare it to the scratchless face Munguia was sporting after.
“Canelo had challenges with this individual,” Hopkins told Fight Hub TV. “And Canelo didn’t come out like he was gonna do modeling the next day. He was pretty bruised up.”
Munguia didn’t appear out of breath and barely broke a sweat this past Saturday night. Now, he’s crossing his fingers in the hopes that he can land a showdown against Alvarez or one of the division’s top names.
Some may point to Munguia’s record and claim that he hasn’t fought anyone even remotely close to an elite-level fighter. Whether they’re right or wrong is of no importance to Hopkins, all of the top dogs will have to cross paths with him at some point.
“This ain’t hype. This to me is a come-out party for the 168-pound division to understand that Munguia is gonna be around for a long time.”