England’s John Ryder retires after back-to-back losses

England’s John Ryder announced his retirement from boxing Tuesday at age 35 following back-to-back losses.

Ryder (32-7, 18 KOs), rated No. 9 by ESPN at super middleweight, made his announcement 10 days after he was dropped four times en route to a ninth-round TKO loss to Mexico’s Jaime Munguia. That loss followed a wide-points defeat in May 2023 to Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s top star.

“Although I didn’t manage to win that world title, I’ve achieved and experienced more than I could ever have imagined when I first put on a pair of boxing gloves,” said Ryder. “I wouldn’t change that for any belt.”

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Ryder’s fight versus Alvarez, which was Alvarez’s homecoming in Mexico, was the biggest of his career and earned him a career-high payday.

At a packed soccer stadium in front of 50,000-plus fans, Ryder gave a great account of himself, particularly down the stretch, in his bid to become the undisputed champion at 168 pounds. Ryder suffered serious damage in the loss, including a broken nose.

Ryder’s best win came in 2022, when he scored a split-decision triumph over former champion Daniel Jacobs. Ryder’s other top performance came in a loss, a controversial 2019 decision defeat to Callum Smith in a super middleweight title challenge.

“Although my professional career as a boxer is now over, the sport won’t be able to get rid of me that easily,” Ryder said. “I look forward to officially starting my new career as a coach working alongside Tony [Sims] at the Matchroom Gym very shortly. There’s no place like home.”

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