John Ryder is in the frame to compete for a world title after squeezing past Daniel Jacobs courtesy of a controversial split decision win. The Islington man has endured heartbreak on the scorecards on multiple occasions during his career, but he was on the right end of a close fight as he took two scores of 115-113 against the same result for the unfortunate New Yorker.
Jacobs, the pre-fight favourite, began the bout in impressive fashion as he turned back the clock to remind Ryder of his world-level credentials. At the halfway mark, the fight looked to be a formality for Jacobs, but Ryder had other ideas as he went about turning the battle back in his favour.
Using his famed aggressive style, Ryder began to hurt Jacobs, and there were several moments when the former two-time world champion looked on the verge of being taken out. However, despite Ryder’s best efforts, Jacobs rode out the storm and seemed to take enough rounds in the latter of the fight to put the result beyond doubt.
He was in for a shock when the official verdict was announced, and when Ryder was declared the winner, Jacobs stormed out of the ring and headed straight to his locker. The result doesn’t give him any options moving forward, but for Ryder, the big fights are still there. So he can look forward to great opportunities in 2022. In his post-fight interview, Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed ruler at 168 pounds, is who Ryder identified as his ideal next opponent.
"I'm hoping Eddie (Hearn, Ryder's promoter) can lure Canelo to the Wembley Stadium there," Ryder's head trainer Tony Sims told DAZN's, Mike Costello. "You know Canelo wants to fight in the UK."
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