John Ryder hangs up his gloves and says a lack of desire is behind the decision

John Ryder admitted the “desire is not there” to continue his boxing career after he announced his retirement from the sport aged 35.

Briton Ryder called an end to his career after last month’s ninth round stoppage defeat to Jaime Munguia in Arizona.

It was Ryder’s second successive loss after he fell to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May 2023.

The Gorilla, who finishes his career with 32 wins and seven defeats from 39 fights, feels that his mindset has shifted as he has got older.

“I’m 35 years old now and I’m not getting any younger. I’ve had back-to-back defeats and the desire is clearly not there now,” Ryder told the PA news agency.

“After the Canelo fight I felt win, lose or draw I’ll walk away and be happy and maybe I should have got into the ring again sooner.

“Eight months on against Munguia, I was away in LA for two weeks over Christmas and I was missing my kids and partner like crazy and it was a real tough ask to be away.

“I felt on fight week my priority was to get on that flight back to my family and 25-year-old John would have thought about getting that win.

“So I felt that my mindset changed. The will to win was still there and that was what was getting me off the canvas but at some point there has been a real shift and transition.”

Ryder, who challenged Callum Smith in November 2019 for the WBA super-middleweight title and multi-belt champion Alvarez last year, has a history of fighting quality opposition.

The north London fighter would not be willing to become a stepping stone for upcoming fighters by dropping his standard of opponent.

“Not ultimately,” Ryder said when asked if his decision to retire was a difficult one.

“I think if I went in there and got the win it would have been a tough decision. With the defeat it has been an easier decision to make and an easier decision to stick to.

“I have put so much into this. I only know one way – which is 110 per cent, I’ve been fighting competitively now for 20 years. There are miles on the clock and I feel like it’s time to try something new now.

“I don’t want to be used as a stepping stone for up-and-comers.”

Ryder looked back on his previous fights, highlighting some of his key moments during his 20-year career.

He said: “The Billy Joe Saunders fight, the Rocky Fielding fight, the Jamie Cox fight, my fight against Callum Smith. Win or lose they have been great moments in my career.”