Islington super middleweight to face David Lemieux in Las Vegas on May 4

Islington super middleweight John Ryder, the former Angel ABC amateur star, heads off to Las Vegas next month for the biggest fight of his professional career so far. Ryder meets Canadian David Lemieux over twelve rounds for the WBA interim world super middleweight title at the T-Mobile Arena on May 4, with the bout promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing.

The 30-year-old southpaw co-heads the main event on the show with the middleweight unification world title contest between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs also over twelve rounds.

Ryder, who is the WBA mandatory challenger to Liverpool’s Callum Smith, will be keen to preserve his number one ranking.

Smith, meanwhile, defends his various world title super middleweight belts in New York at the beginning of June.

The May 4 showdown will be the first at super middleweight for Montreal’s big punching Lemieux, who has previously campaigned successfully at light middleweight and more recently at middleweight.

The Canadian has a record of 40 victories, 34 inside the distance, with four losses and has punched for pay for twelve years.

Ryder has been active as a professional since September 2010, racking up 27 wins, 15 inside the distance, with just four losses.

Looking ahead to the fight Ryder said “I expect to win and to win well and thus maintain my mandatory status. There is a massive pot of gold for the winner.”