"I really do deserve to be here" - John Ryder prepared to pull upset against Canelo Alvarez

John Ryder feels prepared to spring an upset against Canelo Alvarez.

'The Gorilla' has been out of action since his stoppage win over Zach Parker last November. The victory was his fourth in a row, previously defeating names such as Daniel Jacobs in that stretch. Furthermore, the win secured him the WBO interim super-middleweight title.

The interim championship was made in case the unified champion missed time, which was to be expected. Following Alvarez's win over Gennadiy Golovkin last September, the titleholder announced plans to take time off for hand surgery. At the time, he was expected to miss upwards of a year.

Instead, Canelo Alvarez's rehab went much better than expected. He's now set to face John Ryder in May in his home country of Mexico, in a super-middleweight unification bout. Ahead of the matchup, the Brit opened up as a massive betting underdog.

However, he doesn't seem to care much for the odds. In a recent interview on Matchroom Boxing's YouTube channel, Ryder stated that he deserves to be there. He said:

“It seemed like a lifetime away months and years ago. But I’m finally here now and I feel like I really do deserve to be here. I’ve paid my dues in this sport and I’ve earned this shot three times over for me. So, yeah, I feel like I really deserve to be here and deserve this shot.”

See his comments in the video below:

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John Ryder fires back at critics over Canelo Alvarez fight

John Ryder doesn't care about the critics who don't like him fighting Canelo Alvarez.

Upon the Mexican superstar's return, there was talk of him facing Dmitry Bivol. The two faced off in May 2022, with the Russian springing an upset win via decision.

Following the defeat, Alvarez voiced his intention to rematch the light-heavyweight champion. While he had business with 'GGG' to deal with, he also plans to face Bivol in a rematch this year.

However, those plans are now up in smoke in favor of Canelo Alvarez facing John Ryder. In a video published by Matchroom Boxing, the latter addressed critics who have downplayed his chances versus the Mexican, and are disappointed with the fight announcement.

He said:

“Don’t shoot me down. I’m still dreaming, so let me live my dream. And listen, keep your opinions to yourself. I’m not reading them, don’t care. I’m doing this for me. I’m not doing it for you. Go about your business. Life can’t be that bad that you gotta worry about me too much.”