The highly-anticipated matchup between Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder has been officially announced. Mexico's undisputed king will return home to defend his super-middleweight world titles against the British challenger.
Canelo Alvarez, the pound-for-pound star of North America, is set to defend his undisputed super-middleweight world titles against Britain's John Ryder on May 6 in his home country of Mexico.
Despite being a major pay-per-view draw in the USA for over a decade, Canelo has not fought in his homeland since 2011.
Canelo is the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-middleweight world champion.
In 2011, Canelo Alvarez defended his WBC super-welterweight (154lbs) world title against Kermit Cintron. Since then, he has gone on to achieve even greater success, winning unified middleweight (160lbs) world titles, undisputed super-middleweight (168lbs) world titles, and even the WBO light-heavyweight (175lbs) world title.
However, last year, Canelo faced a setback when he suffered the second professional defeat of his career. While he had previously only lost to Floyd Mayweather as a 23-year-old, he was beaten by Dmitry Bivol as he attempted to win another belt at light heavyweight.
Despite his desire for a rematch with the Russian champion, Canelo chose not to pursue it immediately. Instead, he returned to super-middleweight and engaged in a trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, his bitter rival. In these fights, he successfully defended his titles against Golovkin.
Following his recent victory, Canelo Alvarez underwent hand surgery, which has led him to express his desire for a tune-up homecoming fight in May before his rematch with Bivol in September.
Canelo will want to get revenge on Bivol later this year
Part one of this plan is now set in motion, as Canelo has confirmed that he will face John Ryder on May 6 at Estadio Akron in Jalisco, Mexico.
Although Ryder has had an impressive run of form, he will be a significant underdog in the fight. He has a professional record of 32-5, with only one loss since 2017. However, that defeat was in his sole world title challenge against Callum Smith and was widely controversial, with many believing he deserved the decision.
Last year, Ryder defeated Daniel Jacobs and overcame Zach Parker (who suffered an injury midway through the contest) to claim the WBO 'interim' belt and become the mandatory challenger for Canelo. On May 6, Ryder will have the opportunity of a lifetime as he faces the Mexican superstar in his home country.
"There's no denying that Canelo is one of the greats and I've got a lot of respect for what he's achieved in the sport but I fully believe this is my time to fulfill my dream of becoming a world champion," said Ryder.
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