Frank Warren has formally confirmed the previously speculated bout between the unbeaten Zach Parker ( 22-0) and fellow Brit John Ryder who holds a record of thirty-one wins against five defeats as a professional. The contest will be held at the 02 Arena, London on the 26th of November and will be contesting the WBO interim world super-middleweight title following the former two-weight champion and previous title holder, Demetrius Andrade. The announcement of the contest will be a relief for Parker, who has seen two fights with Andrade fall by the wayside in recent months. Parker was due to fight Andrade in May of this year however the American sustained an injury which postponed that contest before the WBO called for purse bids to take place due to the length of the postponement back in September. Warren who represents Parker on a promotional basis won the bidding process with a low offer which saw Andrade withdraw entirely from the process to seek alternative opportunities.
John Ryder is enjoying a resurgence in his career following moving up to 168lbs back in 2017 which has seen John produce good victories and defeats only due to suspect judging particularly against Rocky Fielding (British Title) and Callum Smith (WBA world and WBC Diamond) where many thought Ryder had done more than enough to win. Ryder claimed his most notable victory last time out in February of this year with a split-decision win over Danny Jacobs.
The winner of the above contest will find themselves as the mandatory challenger for the full WBO title currently held by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, if Canelo was to vacate his title then the winner may be elevated to full title status at a later date.
The contest will be shown live on BT Sport in the UK and will be promoted by Frank Warren of Queensbury Promotions.
