RYDER: I’LL CLIMB ANY MOUNTAIN
JOHN RYDER will have climbed boxing’s equivalent of Mount Everest if he beats Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Mexico on Saturday.
And, with his tongue only slightly in cheek, north Londoner Ryder reckons climbing the real thing might even feature in his celebrations if he does achieve that feat.
“If I win, I might go and climb Everest,” said the 34-year-old Brit, who takes on boxing’s biggest name in his home state of Jalisco in Mexico.
“I’ve got a good affiliation to the Gurkhas. I’m part of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, so it might be worthwhile doing – or just a trip to Base Camp to test the waters.
“Every fight could be your last at this stage.
“So you could go out on a massive high with a win or you could have a rematch and potentially bring him back to the Emirates. We’ll look at whatever is next.
“There’s a massive incentive to fight on and bring this fight back to London, but who knows?”
Mad-keen Arsenal fan Ryder would love to face Canelo (below) on the Gunners’ home turf although he knows that, financially, Las Vegas would make more sense.
He said: “A rematch at the Emirates would be nice, but when I win, he’ll still have the star power and the draw, and it would probably make more sense for us to do it again in Vegas.”
After Wednesday’s defeat at Manchester City, most people would give Arsenal about as much hope of being crowned champions of England as they would give Ryder of beating the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO world super-middleweight champion.
And asked whether he would sacrifice his team winning the Premier League this season in exchange for his own victory, he said: “Oh, come on,
I’ve seen Arsenal win the title before.
“And, for Arsenal, there is always next year.”
Ryder credits a defeat by Nick Blackwell in 2015 for setting him on the path to this humongous moment.
He recalled: “There were a couple of issues going into that fight. I made weight terribly. I didn’t wake up on time or ran too late or skipped a run. I just needed to be more professional in myself with the weight-making.
“But I’m pleased Nick got the victory that night and achieved his own dream. That fight allowed me to re-evaluate – and now I get to go on to achieve mine.”