Ryder's Trainer: Callum Smith Would Also Be Huge Underdog With Canelo

John Ryder still holds a ticket in the Canelo sweepstakes but his trainer, Tony Sims, admits they might not be holding the golden one.

Super middleweight No.1 Callum Smith is thought to be Team Canelo’s first choice but Ryder, who pushed Smith all the way at the end of last year, is waiting in the wings if a deal can’t be done between Canelo, who holds a win over Callum’s brother Liam, and the man from Liverpool.

Ryder turns 33 in July. He’s won 28 and lost five but won legions of fans with his effort against Smith in his last fight on November 23.

The belief is that the Canelo bout would be the first streamed by DAZN in the UK, and Sims reckons it’s now a straight shootout between Smith and his charge.

“I think there’s only him and Callum Smith on the list, realistically,” said Sims. “I think it just depends on Callum. I think he’s just ahead of John, it just depends on if Callum wants to take a cut on his money. If he takes a cut on his money, then he’ll get it. If they don’t agree the purse then I think John will get it.”

Reports have indicated that Smith has been offered $5 million but he wants $6 million.

“Apart from Caleb Plant or Billy Joe, one of the champions, there aren’t many decent challengers for him [Canelo],” Sims continued, fully understanding Ryder would be a distant second favourite for the bookmakers.

“It’s a big ask for anybody, isn’t it? He [Canelo]’s the pound for pound best in the world. He’s the sort of fighter you’d watch and teach your kids from, that you’d teach your fighters from. He’s brilliant. Everything he does is fantastic. Me and John were ringside when he fought Danny Jacobs, and I think Jacobs is a brilliant fighter as well, technically he [Canelo]’s a brilliant fighter to watch and there’s no one near him at the moment I don’t think. But it’s about getting the fight and getting the payday.”

Sims rates the Mexican franchise so highly he thinks he starts favourite against anyone being mentioned.

“Everyone’s a huge underdog aren’t they?” Sims went on. “Callum Smith’s a huge underdog. He wouldn’t be anymore an underdog than John Ryder and it’s the same as anyone else if they take it. Some fights you’ve got to go in there and enjoy it and you still go in with a winner’s mentality but you’ve got to enjoy it that you are fighting someone pound-for-pound, a potential Hall of Famer, so just to get the opportunity to fight him would be great.”

Sims has been around long enough to have seen plenty of British underdogs take on elite fighters, including Lloyd Honeyghan’s historic upset of Don Curry.

He believes a Ryder win over Canelo would surpass the Ragamuffin Man’s efforts.

“Even more so I think,” said Sims. “You’ve got to think that Canelo is a better all-round fighter than Donald Curry, even though he was a great fighter at that time but Canelo is an unbelievable fighter, he really is.”

Of course, even if Ryder was to land his dream shot, coronavirus makes it unlikely that it would be the night he dreamed of.

“Normally you’d be in Vegas, in the T-Mobile, boxing in front of 20,000 spectators but as long as the money and the fight is there, I think John will put up a great fight,” said Sims.

“I don’t think Canelo would stop John, I think he’d be in there for the 12 rounds and John would give it everything. He’s a tough man, John. He’d be hard to put away by anybody. It’s a tough ask but he’s in good shape already, it’s just down to Callum Smith and if he wants to take that purse drop or not.”