John Ryder said that the upcoming fight with Jaime Munguia is one that he needs “more than ever” to keep his career alive.
Ryder last fought in May in Mexico, when he came up against undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez.
He lost in Guadalajara in Mexico, and has been looking to return to the ring to get back to winning ways.
Munguia is a tough opponent, with an unbeaten record and his own hopes will be to become a world champion at 168lbs. A win for either man would put them close to the top of the pile should Canelo be looking for another defence down the line, and they would be well placed should the belts be broken up if the Mexican champion moves on or retires.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday ahead of Saturday's fight - shown live on DAZN - Ryder said he had expected to meet Munguia in the ring at some point in his career, and acknowledged that he needs a win to work towards a title.
He said: “I always thought it was going to happen, a step in the right direction, and after the Canelo defeat, it’s a fight I need more than ever to keep me at this level, keep me operating, and keep my world title dreams, aspirations, alive.
“I think the response was pretty prompt to Eddie [Hearn] - ‘let’s do it’ - training camp over Christmas and whatnot that didn't matter, put that to the side and let's celebrate afterwards.”
Munguia explained that for him, Ryder represents the right kind of opponent as he looks to move into position for title fights.
He said: “We wanted a big challenge and we know that John Ryder is a big challenge.”
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