What's my pleasure to bring into the podcast today my old pal John Ryder,
John super middleweight contender for a long time. He got an important fight coming
up in January twenty seventh at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, taking
on the undefeated Jimi Mongia in a fight frankly I think can miss for fans.
Frankly, just in terms of the action that you two guys bring to
the ring. How you doing and how much excitement do you have for this
level of a fight. It blezn't to be Dan, Thanks having me on.
It's great to be here and involving another big fight against an undefeated opponent
in Parliment, Gia. And something for me is to show redemption. I
had the fight with last year. I think that we have planned so it's
great to start when it's twenty four with a bang against another big name.
Well, you just mentioned that it's an undefeated. You know, himI is
an undefeated opponent. He hasn't lost anybody sat some close calls, I guess
as including his last fight against Sergey devin Schenko. How do you uh prepared
yourself mentally or however you go about getting ready for fight? Thinking about taking
an undefeated record, how do you go about that. I don't train any
different. We just we'll train one way. We trained hard. Obviously,
how he's had a change of camp lately, and it's Freddie Roach, so
we're expecting new things from paying Short for sure. But so we trained diligently.
We need tournament camp and nothing changes. We trained hard and we prepare
for the hardest battle possible. So in his last fight that took place in
June, as I mentioned, he fought Sergei devn Schenko. A lot of
people picked that as the twenty twenty three fight of the year. I made
it number two on my list. I mean, it was a really outstanding,
you know, all action, very exciting fight. He's certain it was
a close decision that Haimi won. He came real, real close to losing
that fight. It was a really tough fight for him. He took a
lot of punishment, as did Surgey in that fight. He's coming back to
fight John Ryder, who's never made it easy for his opponents, even in
fight that you have lost. I mean, do you think that maybe you're
getting him at the right time? Coming off that kind of battle potentially is
a rold level fire tough man and yeah him and getpool at the bag in
the last round, but I dropped him and in his favor, so he's
got that in the locker. He's dangerous through that, So you got give
him the tough respect. But like I said, I've trained hard and ready
for a toss four brands. I'm going to put all online. Chan well,
as you mentioned, you're you're also coming off of a defeat. You're
coming off of a defeat in another fight that was very tough, hard fight
in your World championship opportunity against the undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. He knocked you
down. You were bloody in that fight. He showed such a big heart.
I wonder how in the world did you get through that fight, because
it looked to me like there were times where if you had packed it in,
I don't think anybody would have said a bad word about you, because
that's how tough of a fight it was. It was tough. Yeah,
I got my nose broken the second round. I felt sorry for myself for
a few rounds after that, and then just got dropped and bit down,
come out swinging. I took a ton of credit from that fight. And
like you say, you you you can go to certain places and people give
their credit for getting up and carrying on, and you go to these places
you don't carry on this. They're talking about your back. What do you
prefer? What do you want from this? And said, I don't want
too many hard fights like that. I don't want to be set sat there
in my later years thinking about these hard fights I had and reaping the benefit
of the So got the benefits, the reaping the harm they've done, so
no less damage the best. But it was great to put all the line
against and I'm willing to do the same. Good time and the gear.
You know, do you think that because you know, even though you lost
the fight, because you put in such a tremendous effort, so much heart
made it's such a great fight that even with the defeat, it kept you
viable for a high profile fight like this one, because if you had maybe
been knocked out or didn't show the kind of heart you did or make it
such a good fight for the fans and everybody watching, that maybe they overlooked
John Ryder and you don't get picked for this particular assignment. Yeah, for
sure. The saying it was I didn't win the fight, but I won
the night. Yeah, a lot a ton of fans, a lot of
Mexican fans come on boot off to that fight, and that's a lot of
credit from mat So it was a humdred expirits event. Now, you went
into that fight against Canelo, you had won four fights in a row.
The fight you lost going you know, before that streak started was in twenty
nineteen. You had a really including by the way in that streak, you
had that close win against Danny Jacobs, but the loss in twenty nineteen was
a super close fight where a lot of people thought you deserved to be the
winner against Callum Smith. Does that one sort of still eat away at you
at all gets you bothered because that was a lot of people thought that was
really not a great call. Yeah, it's a bit of I think I'm
over it now. I can't hang on hang on that one for too long.
But it's animately I've got the shot at the man in Canelo, So
then that's what I was doing it for. I probably would have gone come
away from the kind of a lot more financially set having gone in there as
world champion, but certain regardless I've got in there gets the best. I've
pitched myself gets the best, and I didn't win, But I still feel
like a tow away winner. Now you have one over the course of your
career, two interim titles, if I'm not mistaken, in the super middleweight
division. But I have to believe that any boxer that's still going on that
the ultimate goal is to win a major world title. Do you still harbor
those dreams of winning a major championship? I know this fight with Heimi is
not a world title fight, you know, although it might as well be
for a lot of people, but it's not. But does that still one
of the goals that you have before you call it a day? Yeah,
I mean that's still the dream, that's still the fire burning. Obviously,
we know all the titles are tied up now with Canello and whatnot, But
just got hope that in the in the coming months were pressing those in good
positions and who knows what a lack of the titles some made folk meant and
we can get a shot a vacant title. You know. I mentioned before
Callum Smith, I wondered he had just had his fight where he got the
opportunity at light heavyweight to fight for the Unified championship against Arthur better be f
and uh, you know, he really got taken apart. I wonder if
you saw that matchup and what you thought about your old your old foe,
you know, getting it handed to him in that match. Yeah. I
watched it, and I thought the time was right for Callum. I thought
he could become two world champion. But better be Av was. He was
sensational that night, and he doesn't like he dropped off the pace at all.
I was worried and concerned where he had the injury and postponed to the
fight. But listen, I think he showed that he's still got it.
So as you go into your fight with Heimie, like I said earlier in
the in the in the conversation, you know, you like to come forward,
and you've never been afraid to mix it up with your opponents. Gia
obviously has never been a problem with him mixing up with his opponents. I
look at the matchup when this was announced and I thought to myself, I
mean, I just see, no way this is not going to be a
fan friendly kind of fight. Do you have that sort of the same opinion.
You you know what you're in for, don't you. Yeah, I
think I prepared, and like I said, we're enforced that. I think
the fans are in for a treat, And yeah, sent you down a
handimate. I think you might be right about that. Well, you are
thirty five, and this is a great opportunity for you. You've had the
opportunity against Canelo and the biggest fight you could have in your career in that
way class, And I just wonder how much how much longer do you see
yourself going on or do you just sort of at this point take it fight
by fight? Yeah, fight by fight. There's no there's no real long
long term plan. I mean, I'm enjoying bots at the moment, and
at the moment, I still feel like I'm in more from boxing than boxing
to get from me. So as long as that continues, and I'll be
in these in around these shows. But as soon as I like boxes,
take a month mid and I'll obviousit down on my team and we'll call it
today. So then I'll wrap up with this. When you go into the
ring against Moggya on January twenty seventh, do you have a sort of a
thought in your mind of how you think the fight unfolds, how you think
it goes. And we know there's gonna be a lot of contact, but
beyond that aspect of the fight, yeah, no, I see myself in
my hand getting raised if it comes from a stoppage or a point to me.
And I think that the judge will be will be fair here. And
I think we saw that the Drinko fight. There's a close fight, but
I think we saw and we we agreed that the last the last round one
for time. And so I've got faith from the judges. Regardless how I'll
be talking through, I've quite to get the win. Well, I would
say, whatever is going to happen the night of that fight, I think
the fans, like you said, are going to be in for a treat.
Should be great matchup. I wish you the best of luck, john
You've always been a stand up guy. I appreciate your time and I wish
you the best of luck. Thanks, Jep, you bet Johnny M.