John Ryder wants to make sure he’s not fighting Jaime Munguia and the three judges come Jan. 27.
The British boxer Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) and the Mexican fighter Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) will square off for a scrap at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on DAZN.
Should the super middleweight match go the 12-round distance, Ryder wants to make sure silly scores don’t become the central story of the fight.
When he hasn’t scored the stoppage, Munguia has cut it close on the cards in recent fights.
His 2019 WBO super welterweight title defense and majority decision win against Denis Hogan in Monterrey, Mexico was shrouded in controversy – even Munguia admitted at best he should’ve been awarded a draw.
Munguia’s 2023 BoxingScene.com fight of the year win against Sergey Derevyanchenko was ultimately decided in the 12th round when Munguia dropped Derevyanchenko to flip the fight. Munguia was down a point on two of the scorecards heading into the final round of the fight.
“That’s all we can ask for [a fair shot with the judges]. I think we saw it in the Munguia-Derevyanchenko fight. It came down to the last round. I think the judging and scorecards were spot on,” Ryder said during his media workout at the newly built Golden Boy Boxing Gym ahead of the showdown against Munguia.
“I don’t want to go in there having to depend on a knockout because it’s going to cloud my judgment, cloud the way I fight and make everything harder and a bit. I want to go in there relaxed and put on a show and be judged fairly.”
Ryder is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Canelo Alvarez. Ryder suffered a broken nose and a knockdown in the fight, but still mustered to win two rounds on two of the judge’s cards, while the third had it a shutout for Alvarez in his homecoming fight in Jalisco, Mexico.
The 35-year-old Ryder, from Islington, London, will once again be a road warrior in just his third fight in the United States of his 14-year career.
The southpaw Ryder has been holding camp in Los Angeles training with stablemates Conor Benn and Joe Cordina at the Matchroom x Churchill gym in Los Angeles.
“It’s tough leaving home. I have two young children and a beautiful partner. It’s not ideal being away but we have to make these sacrifices,” said Ryder.
“If I’m leaving my family, I’m leaving for a good reason, what better to head to the States and show the bit between my teeth and the fire burning … or else I wouldn’t be doing it. I love this game and I want to keep going until the wheels fall off.”
For the matchup against Munguia, Ryder will be looking to regain the form from his 2022 wins against Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker that helped land him the Alvarez fight.
“I want to go in there [against Munguia] and make a statement,” said Ryder. “I’m not here for a long time. I’m here for a good time. I want to go after the biggest and best fights possible.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.