Canelo vs Ryder: Undisputed Mexican Homecoming
For the first time since 2011, reigning undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez will return to his home of Mexico to defend his titles against John Ryder.
Now 12 years on from his last fight on home soil, Canelo makes his long-awaited homecoming in front of a sold-out Akron Stadium in Jalisco.
An incredible 60,000 fans are expected to pack out the arena to watch their national hero make the latest defence of his 168 pounds belts.
Travelling from London to challenge for the crown, Ryder will be aiming to cause a monumental upset and ruin the homecoming for one of boxing’s leading pound-for-pound superstars.
CANELO VS RYDER FIGHT DETAILS
Fight: Canelo Alvarez vs John Ryder
Date: Sunday, May 7th
Main Event Time: Approx. 5AM GMT
Live On: DAZN
Location: Akron Stadium, Jalisco, Mexico
Undercard:
Julio Cesar Martinez vs Ronal Batista
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs Steve Spark
Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Ricards Bolotniks
CANELO VS RYDER FIGHT PREVIEW
Despite holding all the marbles at super-middleweight, Canelo has come under the spotlight for his recent performances and form.
After a second ever career defeat to Dmitry Bivol, as he fell short moving up to contest the light-heavyweight champion, the Mexican dropped back down to successfully complete his trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Alvarez’s showings in both fights were met with criticism and, having previously had surgery to fix a recurring left wrist injury, eager eyes will be keen to see if he’s still the same accomplished fighter he was in past years.
On top of those questions raised for Canelo, the added pressure and strain of constant home media duties in Mexico will be a hopeful distraction for Ryder and his visiting team.
Seen as a huge underdog, Ryder will enter the ring as the eighth British opponent of Canelo’s long-standing career, with all previous seven having been routinely dispatched since 2011 (Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Ryan Rhodes and Matthew Hatton).
A win for ‘The Gorilla’ would be one of the greatest in UK boxing history, alongside Randolph Turpin stunning Sugar Ray Robinson and Lloyd Honeyghan besting Don Curry. But it’s a tough ask, regardless of any potential Canelo slippage.
The Mexican is hellbent on securing a rematch with Bivol at 175 pounds later this year and a third career loss to Ryder would certainly derail any chances of that ever happening.
In 2019, Ryder was widely considered to have beaten Callum Smith to become a world champion, but was denied by the scorecards in the then champion’s home of Liverpool.
Since then he has reeled off four straight wins to gain momentum again, including outpointing former world champion and another shared Canelo opponent, Daniel Jacobs, in 2022.
But it’s still a mammoth feat Ryder must accomplish as he prepares to take on the returning king in front of a hostile Mexican crowd, with Canelo aiming to derail any lingering doubts over his future in the sport with homecoming success.
Header image: Matchroom Boxing