PARKER: “I WILL GET A STOPPAGE OVER RYDER”

ZACH PARKER VIEWS his forthcoming collision with John Ryder as the fight that will propel him onto the super middleweight top table and he believes he will knockout his North London rival.

Derby man Parker and Ryder from Islington will go into battle at the 02 Arena on November 26 with the WBO Interim world super middleweight title on the line.

Parker (22-0, 16 KOs) has been on a formidable run of form since linking up with Frank Warren and Queensberry, scoring spectacular knockout victories over Vaughn Alexander, Sherzod Khusanov and Marcus Morrison. Three men who had not previously been stopped.

He was due to face former WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade for the Interim belt, but injury and then a withdrawal saw all roads lead to next in line Ryder, a former world title challenger who, last time out, defeated Daniel Jacobs.

“Yeah 100% it will, he has been in there with the best so I’ve just got to go out and do a number on him and then I will have arrived on the world scene,” considered Parker, in conversation with Dev Sahni on the Queensberry YouTube Channel.

“It is going to be a good fight. At least he’s got the balls to come and fight me, unlike Andrade. He always brings it, so if we both do that and meet in the middle, it will be one for the fans.”

Parker has long suspected that he would eventually go toe-to-toe in a high stakes clash with Ryder and is grateful to his promoter for bringing it about.

“I have kept an eye out for him, although obviously he was at middleweight, but now he has come up with a good few wins and had a close one with Callum Smith.

“I thought we might meet down the line and here we are. Frank is the man who has made it happen and I can’t wait for fight night now.

“That he has done this for me is a sign of the trust we have. I trust Frank and he trusts me. We were going to have the Andrade fight in Derby but the season has started now so we will have a good night for the fans at the 02 and may the best man win.

“It should be a good fight, but I reckon I will get a stoppage over Ryder. I think he is just a bit too small for super middleweight. He has boxed some but they have taken him lightly, thinking they are gonna beat him easily.”

Zach Parker vs John Ryder for the WBO Interim world super middleweight championship headlines a huge bill at the 02 Arena on November 26, which also features WBC Silver middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz (16-0, 12) defending his title, plus Dennis McCann (13-0, 7) bidding to add the Commonwealth super bantamweight championship to his belt collection by taking on Joe Ham (17-3, 6) for the vacant title.

Lightweight Sam Noakes (9-0, 9) takes on the unbeaten Scot Calvin McCord (11-0, 2) in a defence of his WBC International Silver championship, with his gym mate Pierce O’Leary (10-0, 6) fighting for the vacant WBC International super lightweight championship against the Namibian Emmanuelo Mungandjela (16-3-1, 7).

Thetford cruiserweight Tommy Fletcher (2-0, 2), Bexley welterweight Micky Burke jr (7-0, 3) and Upminster super lightweight Sonny Liston Ali (4-0) also appear on the card.