Boxers like John Ryder play a key role in the sport's ecosystem

On Saturday in Liverpool, England, a card headlined by an IBF welterweight title bout between champion Natasha Jonas and former super featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer, a local prospect of some repute named Stephen Clarke scored a TKO in his pro debut. He won by third-round TKO when his opponent, Vasif Mamedov, turned his back during the action and forced referee Mark Lyson to stop the bout.

Wouldn't you know it? Mamedov received no suspension after getting stopped -- mainly because he took few punches of consequence before he decided to call it a day -- and has another fight scheduled Saturday in Liverpool.

You also shouldn't be surprised to learn that Mamedov is 3-47-5 after losing to Clarke. 

While one shouldn't expect a pro debut prospect to fight the reincarnation of Sonny Liston, it's a disgrace that promoters continue to use guys like Mamedov to artificially build up a boxer's record. Mamedov has only been stopped six times, so he knows how to protect himself, but that's beside the point. Essentially, these fights are being thrown and he in no way is giving any kind of quality test to the prospect he faces.

John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) would probably be angered beyond belief if anyone were dare to compare him to Mamedov, but in a way, that's what he is, albeit on a high level.

The 35-year-old Ryder, nicknamed "The Gorilla," faces highly regarded super middleweight Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) on Saturday at The Footprint Center in Phoenix in the main event of a Golden Boy Promotions card streamed on DAZN.

Ryder twice won interim super middleweight titles, besting Bilal Akkawy in 2019 to claim the WBA title, and claiming the interim WBO belt in 2022 when Zach Parker retired after four rounds due to a broken hand. Ryder lost two full-fledged world title fights, a bout for the undisputed title to Canelo Alvarez on May 6 and a bout for the WBA-WBC belts to Callum Smith in 2019.

In the old days, a guy like Mamedov would have been dubbed "a tomato can," and while Ryder is no star, he's definitely also nowhere near being a tomato can.

What he is is a guy good enough to compete with the top three or four guys in the division and give them a good fight. He may not win, but he tries and he's skilled enough to push them and make them work. That type of guy is incredibly valuable, and Munguia will no doubt benefit from being in the ring with him.

While Mamedov just goes out and takes fights with no real intention of winning, Ryder comes to win every fight he takes. He's good enough to beat all except for the absolute top guys. Be assured that Munguia trainer Freddie Roach is warning him about Ryder and doing his best to ensure  Munguia does not look ahead.

Ryder is still talking about fighting the best and he's musing about a rematch with Alvarez. That's not going to happen in this lifetime, but it's how you want all fighters to dream. Munguia's bout with Sergiy Derevyanchenko was picked as 2023 Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and you can almost see the wheels turning in Ryder's head as he talks about Munguia.

“Jaime won Fight of the Year last year and I am sure that this fight can be a candidate for fight of the year for 2024,” Ryder said. “He’s got an unbelievable record, 42-0, and he’s got the carrot being dangled of the Canelo fight, like I had against Zach Parker. That adds pressure, [since] you know that is potentially next, so you have to go out there and produce. So it’s down to him now. I’ve had my shot at Canelo, I doubt I’ll get another one if I beat Munguia, but that is the aim, to be in the biggest and best fights possible."

At the DraftKings sports book, Munguia is a -340 favorite, with Ryder at +250 on the buyback. 

The thing that is great about Ryder is that he's trying to use the weaknesses he thinks he saw in Munguia against Derevyanchenko to his benefit. Unlike Mamedov, who basically is taking a beating to get a check, Ryder is there to win and he's making those he faces better for it.

"I think his record is not padded, but he’s been well-maneuvered," Ryder said, accurately.  "In his last fight with Sergiy, he showed some vulnerabilities. He’s made a trainer change to Freddie Roach and that might be a good thing, [but] it might not be. We’ll see. I know what he brings to the table. He throws a lot of shots, and he throws them with bad intentions, but that’s when I think I can capitalize on him.

“Sergiy gave him all the problems in the world last time. It came down to the last round and he put him over and the scorecards showed that. So, I hope the fight is judged fairly and I get a fair roll off the dice. That’s all I can ask for.”

J