ZACH NEEDS TO GET WIN IN THE CAN
ZACH PARKER against John Ryder is the fight of the weekend.
There’s no doubt about that as the pair tussle it out for the mandatory position for Canelo Alvarez and his WBO super-middleweight crown.
This is what boxing is about. A former world title challenger against a rising star in the division.
Parker is ready to show how good he is and Ryder is the perfect man to do it against. The Gorilla is coming into the fight in red-hot form. He pushed Callum Smith close in 2019 and had an impressive win over Danny Jacobs last time out.
That’s Danny Jacobs who went close against Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
This is a real test of how far Parker has come but the rewards are huge. This is a fight he can make a name for himself in.
But this is what he should be doing at this stage of his career. Time to shine and it will make for an exciting night.
Parker against Ryder is a fight about the future.
Boxing needs to be making new stars, not trying to revive ones who are going the other way.
Parker is certainly a future star in my eyes and he could land a shot at Canelo if he wins tonight. The Mexican will have to face the winner or give up the belt and that means the man who comes out on top will become a bona fide world champion.
It’s a cracking undercard at the O2 tonight, too, with Hamzah Sheeraz facing River Wilson-Bent and he will have to make sure he keeps his career flowing in the right direction. And Dennis McCann takes on Scottish ace Joe Ham at super-bantamweight.
Make sure you tune in to BT Sport tonight.