Daniel Jacobs vs John Ryder: The judges may go against Jacobs

Former world middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs will face former super-middleweight title challenger John Ryder in a 12-round battle in London on February 12.

Jacobs is now 34 and hasn't fought in over a year. In his last fight, he won inexplicably against Gabriel Rosado, a win that could easily have been given to both at the time.

I think the fight with Ryder will be a bit different from my last fight. Rosado was backing off a little bit, and this guy will go forward. So he's going to make me work, and I like that. I have a lot of experience with guys with styles like Ryder. A fighter who gets a second opportunity to get back on top will do everything he can for it. I also come here as a different fighter with a very different mindset, which takes me to another level.

Daniel Jacobs

In November 2019, Ryder lost on points to then WBA super-middleweight champion Callum Smith and that too was a highly controversial refereeing decision. After that, John won twice and was allowed to fight on home soil.

He is now ranked fourth in the WBA, twelfth in the WBO and fourteenth in the WBC.

Jacobs is a great fighter, but his time has passed, and my time to shine is now! On February 12, my dreams will be on the line. Destiny is waiting. It's time to get back to where I belong.

John Ryder

The boxers are roughly evenly matched, and anyone can win. No one will be surprised. At the same time, bookmakers consider Jacobs a favourite for some reason, probably, for his past merits. So, in the bookmaker's lines, the odds on his win are 1.64, while the odds on Ryder's one are already 2.30.

But Ryder is a lefty (Jacobs has never fought with a lefty before), he'll be fighting at home, and we know that in such cases (especially in England), judges decide in favour of the home team, if the fight is more or less close. Jacobs' downtime must also be considered, as he may slip in the second half of the fight.