Parker vs Ryder interim title fight set for Nov. 26 in London
Demetrius Andrade declined a fight with Zach Parker due to a low purse bid
Three weeks ago, Demetrius Andrade pulled out of his WBO interim super middleweight title fight against Zach Parker. Now, Parker has a new opponent, a date, and a location, as he’s officially set to take on John Ryder atop a November 26th Queensberry show at the O2.
Parker (22-0, 16 KO) knocked out Rohan Murdock in a 2020 eliminator that the WBO decided wasn’t really final final. He’s since racked up three stoppages in under four rounds apiece, but the Andrade debacle has kept him out of action since last November.
Ryder (31-5, 17 KO) put together a vicious string of knockouts to earn a shot at Callum Smith’s WBA title in 2019, and despite turning in arguably the best performance of his career, was forced to walk away with a hugely controversial decision loss. While he’s 3-0 since that defeat, including an eyebrow-raising decision win of his own over Daniel Jacobs, he’s been weirdly underwhelming; his victory over Mike Guy was an all-time stinker and his knockout of Jozef Jurko was a nothing fight.
Still, it’s good that Parker’s finally getting his shot and it’s some measure of karma for Ryder getting shafted three years back. Not that I expect Canelo to ever give the winner a crack at the real belt.