By: Sean Crose
Canelo Alvarez returned home on Saturday night. In front of a large Guadalajara audience, the undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world defended his crown in the city where he was born and raised. Canelo’s opponent is John Ryder of London 32-5. However, that night belonged to the heroic 58-2-2 homeland.
Looking neat and confident, the defending champion was on high alert and kept Ryder in efficient landing form in the first round. Canelo also taps a bit into the mid area with his famous body shots in the opening chapter. The defending champion continued to display physical strength in the second half. For his part, Ryder focused on finding loopholes. An early shot from Canelo in the third round left Ryder with a nosebleed. The Englishman is game, but doesn’t seem strong enough to hurt his man.
With that said, Ryder had the better quarter. He is active and has good footwork. A nice straight shot knocked Ryder down in the fifth round. His face was a bloody mess, the challenger beat the count. To credit himself, Ryder then launched a powerful attack on the powerful Canelo. In a word, Canelo did not bother to sit on the chair between rounds.
Ryder fought aggressively in the sixth round, but his punches didn’t seem to have any effect. However, this man was still able to take down Canelo. However, Ryder was VERY hit – and Canelo took him down. Ryder fought fiercely in the seventh inning, but his equilibrium seemed to be off. Perhaps he had a concussion.
It was clear that in the eighth inning, Canelo would qualify for the knockout stage. Every punch is loaded with bad intentions. However, it looks like Ryder will have to be temporarily removed from consciousness if the fight ends soon. Yes, Ryder hit the frame again at the end of the round, but it was just a slip.
Canelo beat Ryder with wobbly legs in the ninth round. The fighter literally staggered, but still delivered punches. Furthermore, Ryder survived the round. Ryder then went on and delivered some sharp shots in the tenth round, which at the time of the match was incredibly impressive. Even when he was beaten badly, the man was determined to try to win.
Ryder moved well in the eleventh minute while Canelo decided to be patient with his man. Is Canelo running out of energy or simply choosing his shots more wisely? The twelfth and final round saw a slower Canelo and a quiet game of trading Ryder. If Ryder has more power in his punches, it will be interesting to see how the fight can play out.
Despite that, Canelo was rewarded with a unanimous decision victory after the final bell, courtesy of the referees.
