British super-middleweight prospect Zach Parker is thinking of a bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – and believes he knows the key to beating the Mexican superstar.
Parker takes on John Ryder for the temporarily vacant WBO belt this Saturday, with the winner placing himself in the top spot for a world title showdown with the undisputed champion in Canelo.
While his fight with Ryder appears to be a 50/50 clash on paper, both men will keep an eye on the Mexican’s next move, hoping to secure a good payday honor and the chance to share the ring with one of the modern greats.
While Parker is relatively unchallenged against world-class opponents, Ryder will give him that experience, having previously lost in a controversial title fight with then-WBA champions, Callum Smith and ended the best win of his career against Daniel Jacobs.
Victory over Ryder would certainly be the 27-year-old’s best to date but Parker’s ambition to not only fight but also beat Canelo, is clearly inevitable. Interview with BBC Sports.
“You just have to have the right style to fight him, you need to be big and strong enough to keep him away from you.”
He’s on a downward spiral at the moment, I think he’s there to be beaten.
I lose [Dmitry] Bivol and him don’t look great for an old person [Gennady] Golovkin.
I’m excited to get a world title and it adds to that with Canelo. That’s the kind of fight you want to get into in boxing.
Not only is he one of the best boxers out there, but you make a lot of money out of that fight, money that will support my family.”
With a 4-inch height advantage and a 2.5-inch reach advantage, Parker clearly believes he has the style to overtake Canelo and become the third boxer to beat him.
First, he has to beat John Ryder this weekend at the O2 Arena in London. The match will be shown live on BT Sport, featuring the likes of Hamzah Sheeraz (16-0), Dennis McCann (13-0) and Sam Noakes (9-0).
