John Ryder won the World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight eliminator fight with a split decision over Daniel Jacobs on Saturday at the Alexandra Palace in London, England. 

The Briton put on a great fight and defeated the American in a tough fight but one in which he was able to come out on top to take the win on cards of 115-113, 113-115 and 115-113.

The pressure was Ryder’s key, who came from less to more in the fight and knew how to use his attack to counter the reach and height advantage that Jacobs had.

The first few rounds, especially, were not easy for the home fighter, who had to deal with the good jab and combinations of his lanky opponent. However, as he increased his volume of punches and tried to fight in the short distance he was able to take some advantages in the fight. 

The 33 year old fighter put in the extra to measure himself one on one against Jacobs and in the eighth round he managed to connect solidly to put him down, although he didn’t knock him down. The fight was quite close and in the end Ryder dominated by the smallest of details in the important bout. 

The Briton’s record stands at 31 wins, 5 losses and 17 knockouts, while Jacobs now has a record of 37 wins, 4 losses and 30 wins before the limit.