Possible title shot on the line as Daniel Jacobs and John Ryder meet in London

Inactive for over a year, Daniel Jacobs returns to the ring wars this Saturday against underdog John Ryder at Alexandra Palace in London, Eng.
 
Jacobs, 35, was last seen in the ring winning a debatable decision over tough man Gabe Rosado. Jacobs was hardly sharp. His previous performance against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. lacked a spark, so questions abound. Is father time is catching up with the former champion? 
 
Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs) fought five months against Josef Jurko, winning by stoppage. His record shows losses to Rocky Fielding and Callum Smith. He did capture an interim belt two years ago.  
 
For Jacobs’ opponent, Ryder, this will be his first bout in five months. Last September, Ryder stooped Jozef Jurko in the fifth round.
 
Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) needs to look good to earn another shot at championship honors. 

Prior to moving up to the super middleweight division, Jacobs was a two-time middleweight titleholder. 
 
He made four successful defenses of his crown, the most memorable being the first-round blow-out of fellow champion Peter Quillin. 
 
Jacobs came up short against champions Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez in 2017 and 2019. A win over Ryder will put Jacobs in line for a rematch against Alvarez. 
 
“I went in there (his fight against Canelo) not being at my strongest and still only lost by two rounds to Canelo - that shows just what kind of fighter I am,” Jacobs told Andreas Hale of DAZN.comhe said. “The outcome will be different if I’m at 100 percent. This is why I’m very excited to be in the super middleweight division because the possibilities are endless. And you’re going to see a much more improved Daniel Jacobs.”
 
Ryder is ready.
 
‘It’s been a fight I’ve been craving for a long time,” he said during a recent press conference. ”It doesn’t get much bigger than this for me.”