Ryder knocked Akkawy down twice in three rounds before securing the win with an impressive flurry, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.
The Londoner is now the interim WBA world super-middleweight champion after the most impressive win of his carer.
Early in the third round, ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder caught the Australian with a beautifully-timed right hook to the chin, sending his opponent tumbling backwards.
He followed that up by backing Akkawy into the corner, and sending him down with a brutal combination of punches.
The finish was just as emphatic, he took Akkawy to the ropes and punished him with some brutal body and head shots, before the challenger attempted to fight back.
His attempts were in vain, however, and despite catching referee Jay Nady with a hook to the chest, the fight was waved off.
Ryder is on a hot streak of wins, having stopped his last four opponents now, and will have his eyes set on fellow Englishman Callum Smith.
Smith holds the ‘Super’ version of the world title, while Canelo Alvarez holds the ‘Regular’ belt.
“I felt great, I was just taking my time,” he said to Sky Sports afterwards.
“The first four (sic) rounds he was busy with his high guard and was dangerous.
“He was quite an unknown entity, I’d seen him fight Kerry Hope and [Giovanni De] Carolis, but not easy to take a lot from them as they were past their best.
“I want to fight for a world title. I feel like I’ve served my apprenticeship, I’ve taken the highs with the lows and I want the biggest fights I can be in.”
While the Liverpudlian is widely expected to defend his WBA and Ring Magazine belts on June 1, Ryder will have his eyes set on a fight for later this year.
Ryder was originally stated to fight David Lemieux on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs Daniel Jacobs, but the Canadian withdrew.
In his place, Akkawy – lead sparring partner for Alvarez – stepped in at short notice.