John Ryder has shared a ring with Callum Smith and he’s backing his former opponent to cause an upset this weekend against Artur Beterbiev.
Smith travels to Canada to face one of boxing’s most devastating punchers and victory for the Liverpool man will ensure that he returns home as unified light-heavyweight champion.
In 2019, Smith was victorious against Ryder, but he was pushed all the way by the Islington man who emerged from the fight with plenty of credit.
After losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2020, Smith made the leap to 175lbs, and he now has the chance to become a two-weight world title holder following an impressive run at super-middleweight.
“He’s very relaxed. He doesn’t get flustered – only when I fought him. He’s very relaxed,” said Ryder when speaking to ProBox TV
“He’s a good fighter. He’s rangy. He’s big. He’s fit, and he’s effective at what he does, so I think he can really cause an upset.”