John Ryder believes that "destiny" is what has brought him to his near-guaranteed undisputed super-middleweight title clash with Canelo Alvarez next year.
The London native defeated Zack Parker in his hometown at The O2 arena on Saturday night, with his fellow Brit being forced to quit after the fourth round due to injury. But despite the frustrating finish, he has now set himself up for a massive title opportunity against one of the sport's current pound-for-pound greats.
Ryder has been pursuing the fight with Alvarez for years, becoming fixated on the idea since the time he lost a tight decision to Callum Smith in 2019. His opponent that night ended up facing the Mexican next after coronavirus shutdowns cost him a year of his career, and since then the Londoner has seen the possibility of the fight clearly.
He went on to win his next two on the bounce, and travelled to Texas on the off-chance that Billy Joe Saunders would follow through on his decision to pull out of his fight with Alvarez in May 2021 over the size of the ring. He also flew out to America the previous December when the champion was due to face Smith, taking a fight on another card just in case he was called up late.
And after beating Daniel Jacobs earlier this year, the wheels were set in motion for a possible stadium fight with the undisputed champion in the UK next year. "It kind of feels like destiny," he told Mirror Fighting in an exclusive chat. "I feel like I was massively wronged in the Smith fight and obviously Callum went on to fight Canelo next. It was during a weird time with lockdown and what-not.
"But I feel like I've not been gifted a fight here. I've gone back to the drawing board, taken a look at what I needed to do and found myself in a position now where I am next in line. I feel like I'm a deserved fighter and I've earned this shot - things have been lined up for me to go well but I've always had tough opposition in front of me."
The five in Ryder's loss column might alarm some more casual viewers if he does end up facing Alvarez next. He has always taken the hard road to the top of his division; his first British title fight was against Saunders and his other losses include Smith and Rocky Fielding, another Alvarez opponent.
"People have had a lot easier ways to fight for the British title in the past," he noted. "A lot of people have had lesser opponents, but at the end of the day I'm pleased with the way things have gone. There's been dark times in the career and close defeats that are hard to deal with at the time, but I feel like they make for a better story.
"You look back at my career now and you think 'That was a close fight, maybe he didn't lose that one there,' but I think it all makes for a better story in my career. For me, personally, I don't need to go over old ground and now look at what's looming; a fight with Canelo Alvarez."
And he feels that fans will be rewarded with an impressive spectacle when he faces the Mexican, with whispers currently abound that the fight could take place at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Alvarez has tended to stay in America or Mexico during his heyday, but could move global after partnering with Eddie Hearn, who is keen to get him to the UK.
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"I think stylistically, it's probably the best fight out there," Ryder added. "I'm not blowing smoke up my own backside, and the difference is that it's a southpaw against an orthodox, but it will be almost like a mirror image. I think we'd be standing in front of each other, throwing shots, making it a chess match.
"There'll be a lot of head movement, lots of rolling and both men trying to make the other slip up, the fans would be in for a treat. Canelo's not looked his best, he's had a wrist injury or whatever that hampered him in the Bivol and Golovkin fights, but he's had the surgery now and let's see how he recovers from it.
"I believe that I'm in the prime of my career, he's there or thereabouts, maybe on the decline because we're both getting on a bit, and I just think it's a great fight for me and for him. The last fight at an Arsenal stadium, it was Highbury then, was Muhammad Ali vs Henry Cooper - he was Cassius Clay at the time! So to, however many years later, bring a fight to the Emirates where I fight Canelo Alvarez that would be something else."
