Next Canelo Alvarez fight: Mexican superstar set to return home against John Ryder on Cinco de Mayo weekend
The tradition of boxing superstars fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend continues. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is ready to defend his status as the undisputed super middleweight champion against John Ryder. The fight will take place on May 6 from Jalisco, Mexico, Alvarez’s hometown, Matchroom Boxing announced on Tuesday.
After closing out 2021 by beating Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion at 168 pounds, Alvarez had a rough 2022. issued by Dmitry Bivol.
Alvarez returned to middleweight for his next bout, a trilogy bout with rival Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez managed the unanimous decision win but in far more impressive fashion than many expected. Alvarez revealed after the fight that he will need surgery on his wrist, an injury that has bothered him throughout many fights. That injury has been kept on the shelf for more than six months.
Ryder is making his second bid for a world title. In November 2019, Ryder lost a decision to then-WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith. It looked like Ryder did more than enough to deserve the win, but the controversial scorecards didn’t go ahead.
Ryder has since won four consecutive victories, most recently stopping Zach Parker to win the interim WBO championship, placing him as one of Alvarez’s mandatory opponents.
Alvarez has not fought in Mexico since November 2011, when he retained his WBC junior middleweight championship with a stoppage victory over Kermit Cintron. A rematch with Bivol remains one of Alvarez’s main targets for the end of the 2023 calendar.
