Alvarez vs. Ryder Preview
Jalisco, Mexico will play host to a boxing homecoming of the ages on Saturday May 6th. Jalisco born Canelo Alvarez is returning home to defend his pound for pound status and his undisputed super middleweight title against John Ryder.
Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KO) most recently won by unanimous decision victory in a trilogy fight against Gennady Golovkin in September. The victory put an end to the rivalry making Canelo’s record against his Russian foe 2-0-1. He looks to defend the undisputed crown for the second time against Ryder.
The champion wants nothing more than put on a show at home in front of his fans. “I’m doing it because I love it. I like challenges,” Álvarez told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday. “I want to leave a great legacy that motivates others to beat it.”
Alvarez had a message for his critics who think he has fallen off from being the face of boxing. “I’m still here, I’m still here,” the 32-year-old said. “I lost with one of the best fighters at 175. And I’m still here. I’m still the face of boxing, for sure. The numbers talk, and that’s it. ,,,
“I’m here for a long time and I’m going to show everybody.”
How will Canelo win on Saturday? “Just being sensible,” he said. “… We all know what he’s got, the aura that surrounds him. But … not letting the fans get in my head, just staying focused.”
Alvarez is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters of all-time. A win over Ryder will remind everyone of this fact. The questions is, what is next? He has repeatedly said he wants a rematch with Dmitry Bivol and would also like to defend at super middleweight against David Benavidez and or David Morrell.
Aside from two wins over Golovkin, Alvarez has key wins over Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Avni Yildirim, Callum Smith, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Rocky Fielding, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Josesito Lopez, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron and Alfonso Gomez.
Ryder (32-5, 18 KO) is the former interim WBA super middleweight and the interim WBO super middleweight champion. He most recently defeated Zach Parker by fifth round TKO in November for the interim WBO title.
The British fighter is not intimidated by challenging Alvarez in Mexico. “I’ve been lucky enough to go to the arena in Guadalajara. I’ve seen the venue, seen the changing rooms, seen the pitch. I’m taking myself there every night so there’s going to be no shock,” said Ryder.
Ryder is ready to seize the moment. “I’m actually buzzing. Biggest night of my career so far. I’ve had big fights in the past but nothing compares to this.” Ryder pauses and then, with a cheeky cackle, he adds: “But, if you think this is big, wait until the rematch.”
While he might be confident, Ryder has studied what type of fight he might have with Alvarez. “I’ve trained for the best Canelo, and I want him to be at his best, but it’s hard to say [if his finest days are behind him]. That loss to Bivol obviously took a lot out of him and he had that great year in 2021 when he unified the super-middleweight division [after fighting four times in 11 months].
“That took a lot out of him too, with back-to-back camps, and the fight with Golovkin was not a vintage performance. He got the job done, but since then he’s had surgery. So we need to wait and see what he’s got left.”
Aside from Parker, Ryder’s biggest win was a split decision win over Daniel Jacobs in 2022. This fight with Canelo is without a doubt the biggest of his career and he has the chance to prove that he is worthy of being mentioned as one of the best super middleweights in the world.
