So this is all about you? OK. I thought it was about Ryan. Perhaps the thread should be retitled to honor your true intention. Or you can answer a question I have about Ryan, which I thought to be complimentary to the topic post... Should Blackened Glove bouts be included in a boxer's record? Or to make it more about you, Do you include Blackened Glove bouts in a fighter's record? Does that feel better?
Oh, there are many points. For one, Goss was a tough old coot. For two, Ryan was something of a novice. In his own words, he admits to didn't warm to the task until the final ten rounds. He suggests he wasn't relaxed and the situation got the better of him. Different times indeed. Reports from the title winning Sullivan bout bring up a whole new slew of insights and questions but that might be off target from the true laser focus of this thread.
Goss was an experienced bare knuckle fighter, perhaps even a great one, while Ryan was a novice under the rule set. Obviously Goss was way past his best, but he understood the bare knuckle rule set, and how to use it to spoil. I don't think that anybody is disputing that Ryan was a weak champion by the standards of the day, but that does not mean that he was a complete stumble bum. He gave Sullivan a better fight with gloves than many top fighters did!
Ryan was a strapping dude for the times and a good wrestler. He took up boxing as a side hustle pretty much and took advantage of the quality of the scene. The contemporary reports on his fight with Sullivan are extremely interesting. John jacked him up and broke his jaw but Paddy landed some good shots. Enough material for its own thread.
