England’s 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 defeat 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.”

Ryder’s fight against 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 victory 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.”