Callum John Smith vs. John Ryder - IB's standalone RBR scorecard

"Mundo" vs. "Gorilla"...among the bigger domestic UK battles of 2019, a Scouser versus an Islingtonian for a WBA "super", a WBC "diamond", and the Ring magazine's world title at 168lbs.

I'm doing this by popular demand (with several people imploring me in the month-plus since it happened to give it a scoring watch), even though I just know this is going to cause me to feel sick to my stomach.

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Callum John Smith vs. John Ryder, 12 rounds @ super middleweight

 

Round 1

Ryder is leaning in, raising & lowering the right glove, a few twitchy jab feints, but not loosing anything. Smith reaches in with a couple of left jabs in a near dreamlike trance, shuffling laterally in baby steps. Underhanded rights on the body from Smith. Ryder finally charges in with a minute and twenty seconds left on the clock, starting with an overhand left and then right-hooking the hip of Smith and backing him up momentarily. Not a lot got through. Smith pushing out the left jab, sawing the right shoulder blade of Ryder with it. Combo by Ryder exploding up from just under Smith's chest at close range, but Smith able to circle outside and regain control with the lowered-drawbridge jab, dropping it on a diagonal from his own brow to Ryder's.

10-9 Smith, close

 

Round 2

Ryder is opening up with high-climbing shots in combination, backing Smith and up and perhaps surprising him a little. Overhand lefts and right hooks either scoring effectively or forcing Smith to scramble for cover, eschewing counters and not boxing tall, just covering and twisting his body away while scissoring his legs to reach safety. Things hit a lull in the middle minute of the round, neither man really throwing anything, but then Ryder barrels in with some body shots and rips a big prying uppercut against the chest of Smith. A step backward allows Smith to set up a 1-2 but Ryder isn't deterred. Ryder with a high double right jab, thrown from above his own skull but just level with Smith's chin. Ryder dipping forward and slipping & weaving around the left jab of Smith, while threatening with his right.

10-9 Ryder

19-19

 

Round 3

Ryder is jerking his neck to position his face just inside the lazy Smith jab, palm-side. Ryder pumping the left up top but not reaching as Smith leans back and keeps circling in stride. 1-2's beginning to get dialed in by Smith, finding a rhythm moving counter-clockwise and catching Ryder half-turned with jabs and right crosses. Ryder tries a right hook on the body, estimating where Smith is about to step, and guesses correctly, digging in a nice one as they are both turning in the middle of the ring. Smith tries some infighting but smothers himself, firing uppercuts harmlessly past Ryder's backside.

10-9 Smith, close

29-28 Smith

 

Andy Lee has it 29-28 Ryder at this point but acknowledges you could justifiably have any score after three. Fair.

 

Round 4

Ryder is burying the right hook into that long target of Smith's torso, and responsibly keeping an eye out for & catching the Smith right hand on his left glove or wrist. Smith putting together combinations off the jab and 1-2, lobbing some long right uppercuts into Ryder's stomach and scoring from outside. Ryder is rushing in and slipping the jab before they collide in a clinch, over and over. Nice power shoeshine by Ryder barging in before Smith can even start to summon a counter jab.

10-9 Ryder, close

38-38

 

Round 5

Ryder is getting under the Smith jab and catching the cross, punching out into Smith's right glove with his own left. Ryder is crossing his arms in an X over his upper chest and mouth and leaning out in an odd angle to leave Smith's 1-1-2 just barely pecking lightly at his arms. Ryder grinding his way in, working right hooks and body shots before they push apart, staying too close for Smith to properly get off with any leverage on his straights.

10-9 Ryder, close

48-47 Ryder

 

Andy Lee gave Smith the fifth, and has it 48-47 Ryder by a different route than myself.

 

Round 6

Ryder is nudging low with a right jab on the waistband. Smith increases the length of his strides outside and begins to calibrate his aim with the 1-2 down between Ryder's eyes. Ryder is raising his right elbow, arm crooked into an L shape, and either parrying away jabs or turning over deterrent hooks up top. Smith, however, is able to find spots to score from long range, tapping Ryder with the jab from his beard to his orbital bone, wherever there is open space.

10-9 Smith

57-57

 

Round 7

Ryder is walking Smith down, ignoring his jab, boring straight into his chest and scoring uppercuts. Smith tries swapping blows with his back against the ropes and Ryder gets the best of it with his short right hook. Smith traps Ryder into a headlock and yanks him bodily along by the neck while backpedaling into the ropes. Big combos from Ryder, right hooks into the chest and throat steadying him for big overhand lefts bashing into his nose. Smith unable to get free momentarily. Wild overhand right up top and left hook downstairs by Smith as they break apart, with Ryder easily stepping out of the way. Ryder resumes pressuring, and rips a couple of huge right hooks under the guard of Smith, forcing him to lean in and give Ryder the octopus treatment. The ref implores Smith to let go but Ryder is able to shrug him off anyway and score some more body shots.

10-9 Ryder

67-66 Ryder

 

Round 8

Ryder is tossing punches in bunches to head and body, leaned forward as he muscles Smith into the ropes, sometimes crossing either arm over his forehead to shield himself from counters or, more importantly, attempts by Smith to grab him by the head and nullify him. Ryder making Smith uncomfortable with his point blank combos, and Smith tries draping himself over him just as Ryder is throwing a hook and they clash heads. Smith gets the worst of it. Ryder is dropping in light jabs from afar, unable to hold Ryder off. Smith caught with a right hand coming in, but manages to gain purchase inside and shoeshine the body, while Smith pushes down on him. Wild shots by Smith up close, really ineffective when forced into spells of infighting, far better when he can fully extend those stringy arms. Ryder pressuring nonstop, but his output has dipped, just waving right right arm in circles.

10-9 Ryder

77-75 Ryder

 

Andy Lee has it 76 apiece, giving Smith that eighth.

 

Round 9

Ryder is feeding out hard right jabs and left crosses into the chest of Smith while hunched over, shoulders curled in toward Smith. Nothing from the champion doing anything to slow Ryder down. All he can do is pinch Ryder's skull between his wrists to stall, but even then he's getting hit in the midriff as the man with the lower center of gravity is happy to give his knees a slight bend for buoyancy and plug away in a phonebooth. Smith is tying up as best he can but Ryder constantly touching him up. Smith caught with a line drive left backing up and tries planting a left hook on the side of Ryder, but with almost nothing on it, Ryder walking through it disdainfully and grinding Smith into the ropes once more.

10-9 Ryder

87-84 Ryder

 

Round 10

Ryder is keeping his right lead toe just inside Smith's left foot and staying in his chest, chin lowered, riding the straight right when thrown (when Smith has room, which is rarely), and stuffing the uppercut Smith tries instead when they're close, clapping his own gloves down over it. Ryder is launching himself up off the canvas from a crouch and landing pinpoint right jabs on the chin. Smith doing nothing but tie up when Ryder gets inside his jabbing range, and before the challenger gets there all of Smith's long straights are caught on the arms of Ryder.

10-9 Ryder

97-93 Ryder