John Ryder stops Jez Wilson in nine

John Ryder stops Jez Wilson in nine

John Ryder defeated Sheffield fighter Jez Wilson with a ninth round knockout in an eliminator for the British Middleweight title. Ryder who fought three weeks ago in the Matchroom event Mersey Beat, proved to be the classier and more technically gifted operator. Take nothing away from Wilson who gave Ryder a tough fight. Wherever Jez Wilson lacked in technique he made up by sheer grit and heart.

The Islington man Ryder started off strong and looked comfortable in the first half of the fight. He seemed to have the better of Wilson as he consistenly picked his shots perfectly and illustrated a good variation of combinations. Ryder came in and out of range well and was comfortable fighting Wilson on the inside and outside. The clean operators’ fortune changed after the fifth round and this was later explained by Ryder’s trainer, Tony Simms, who explained Ryder had hurt this hand in the third round.

Ryder seemed to slow down and Wilson caught the southpaw with consistent straight rights. This seemed to be the theme of the fight between the sixth and eighth round, with both men seemingly looking tired although it was Wilson’s heart and determination that was troubling Ryder. The ninth round put an end to the stubborn Wilson.

Ryder rocked Wilson with a right hook and threw an assault of left and right hooks to contribute to the Sheffield man forcefully going down to one knee. As the referee called the eight count, Wilson stood up but it was evident that his legs had gone. Wilson looked dazed which forced the referee to stop the contest. Ryder knew this was a tough fight and the injury to his hand may have contributed to the struggle he eventually endured. His defense seemed too open which may be a cause for concern. Wilson, who has been inactive for a year, can take heart from this fight although the 34 year old will know it may be an uphill struggle to conquer the British Middleweight division.

In response to Ryder consistently getting hit by the straight right, he told Sky Sports “If it’s rains, you’re going to get wet, I need to get a raincoat and start blocking them. It was a good fight”. He told Sky Sports that he does need to improve and will wait for his trainer and his promoter Eddie Hearn to set the next stage in his path to the British Middleweight championship. This is another fight where the highly rated John Ryder can build from and learn from mistakes.

-Oun Abbas Hussain / @ouney86
-Contributor for www.BehindTheGloves.com