Callum Smith vs John Ryder Odds & Picks

• Smith vs Ryder goes Saturday, November 23rd at 4:00 pm EST
• Can Smith keep a hold on his gold and maintain his spotless record?
• Can Ryder unseat the dominant titlist from his perch?

Smith vs Ryder is a high stakes prizefight set for this weekend. The event goes at The M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. Smith looks to defend several belts against the mandatory WBA challenger Ryder. This will be a high stakes bout which bolsters a busy Saturday for the sweet science. He is putting up for grabs the WBA World, WBC Diamond, and Ring Magazine Super-Middleweight titles.

Ryder is the hungry challenger looking for an emphatic win on a big stage. Smith is by no means a champ resting on any perceived laurels and is working extra hard to combat the hungry challenger mentality Ryder will apply to his preparations. Check out the odds for this bout and my breakdown of the fight by scrolling below.

Smith vs Ryder Odds

Odds taken Nov. 19th

Smith is clearly being positioned as the star attraction here but more so going forward. He’s the world champion so this promoting style makes sense but Smith could have even bigger paydays in his future. Names like Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, and Billy Joe Saunders have been brought up as potential future opponents for Smith.

Before any talks of that can take place though, Smith must get by a man who is riding a four-fight streak of stoppage victories. Ryder is a confident challenger on a noticeable winning streak ahead of this but I still see Smith getting it done.

Smith Stays Unbeaten

Ryder is an interesting fighter who has had a lot of career highs and lows. He even said that fighting for a world title would have been a dream not all that long ago. Ryder will have to bring his A-game to derail the kind of momentum that Smith has.

Smith won the WBA title and was crowned the World Boxing Super Series champion. This KO victory last September over George Groves netted him the vacant Ring championship too. Smith would successfully defend those belts against Hassan N’Dam at Madison Square Garden.

ANNOUNCED ? @callumsmith23 v @_john_ryder_ live on Sky Sports on Nov.23⁣
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Callum Smith defends his WBA title against John Ryder in a homecoming fight in Liverpool live on Sky Sports. pic.twitter.com/NDIHiYzNCf

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) September 27, 2019

Smith’s career timeline has been altered a bit since becoming a father. His competitive run could be coming to an end sooner than previously expected which will put additional pressure on him to make his dreams come to fruition even quicker. The onus is on him to achieve his dreams and be that example that he wants to be for his kid.

Though Smith is unbeaten Ryder is no stranger to unbeaten adversaries. Ryder stopped previously unbeaten Andrey Sirotkin via seventh-round TKO to secure his status as a mandatory challenger in a win last October.

Smith vs Ryder Tale of the Tape

One statistic that is hard to ignore is the glaring reach advantage. Smith has a reach advantage of half a foot and also has a four-inch height advantage. The edges Smith has in his physical frame will be quite difficult to overcome.

Nevermind the fact that Smith has the advantage in terms of strength of schedule. He has succeeded at that world title level in a way that Ryder has yet to really prove. At least to the same degree that Smith has. I see Smith getting it done via some form of stoppage inside of nine rounds.

Pick: Callum Smith (-2500)