WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith chalked up his lackluster performance against mandatory challenger John Ryder to a lack of fear of Ryder, who was a 25:1 underdog heading into the fight, giving away significant height and reach.
Callum Smith: “I want the best names in the division and I’m not disrespecting John Ryder but there was no fear tonight,” Smith told Sky Sports. “I didn’t believe John Ryder was good enough to beat me. There are fighters that I believe are good enough to beat me if I don’t perform and that’s going to bring out the best in me. That’s what I want, I want the big names. I just want a big name, where if I turn up like tonight I’ll lose. That fear brings out the best performance in me, I feel I need that.”
John Ryder: “I thought that was harsh. I thought I forced the fight, he was just nicking rounds, if that. I thought I done enough to win that. I’ve lost for the British title three times, I’ve come back and fought for a world title against the world #1. I think I’ve done more than enough to show I’m credible for this and I will come again.”
Canelo will smoke Smith. Smith should have lost tonight
No way. Smith wasn’t up for Ryder and always performs shit against low reward, high risk fights. Canelo still won’t fight Smith, even after tonight. Watch. It’s easy to talk trash, but only real warriors can back it up. If I was advising Smith, I’d order him to move up to 175, where he’s better suited. He’s dead at the weight whether he admits it or not.
117-111 just 3 rounds to the challenger??
Smith has not impressed me at all in recent fights.
He is so overrated just because he beat Groves who I feel never recovered fully from the injury he sustained prior to their fight. Aside from Groves he has beaten nobody of note. He looked poor against Ryder and was lucky to escape with a decision win.
Benavidez has more power & Plant more skill. The only other champion he beats is Saunders and that is not even guaranteed at this point.
by the scorecards smith could have got knocked down and still would have won the fight, i had ryder winning a real close dec. but i knew like you all did that wasn’t going to happen, love boxing but the people wearing the suits are keeping new fans from following the sport
I wish Smith would give Ryder more credit rather than cite his own lack of motivation , even if he was undermotivated.
It always seems to me that after such fights the emphasis is on how bad the A fighter was rather than how good the B fighter was.
Also the cherry picked comms from folk. On the post fight comms on here one guy cited that Ryder lost to Fielding who Canelo beat easily. So one could also cite that Smith demolished an unbeaten Fielding in much quicker time than Canelo did so Smith has the edge.
Ironically this fight may very well have sealed a Canelo fight. Canelo never entertained a BJS fight when BJS shut out Lemieux but they spoke about it after his iffy performance last time out. So being that Smith is the Ring champ and looked vulnerable I feel that he is in a much stronger position to fight Canelo or GGG than if he blew Ryder away.
If Smith doesn’t secure the big fight next he should give Ryder a rematch next. Ryder himself (despite an unjust decision) will have done his career so much good.
Hope Canelo doesn’t take the easy fight such as Saunders who also looked easily beatable, or Smith, who looks more boring, than Andrades as Canelo claims.