John Ryder?
It was hard to get excited about opponents in Canelo Alvarez’s pay-per-view match Saturday night in Zapopan, Mexico, near Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara.
The undisputed 168-pound champion built his reputation in part by battling elite contender after elite on his way to titles in four categories and major stardom. best in this sport.
Ryder, almost losing 10-1, did not stir the imagination at all. He’s just an opponent.
And that’s OK. If anyone deserves a one-time pass, it’s Alvarez based on his current record and circumstances.
1️⃣ week for #CaneloRyder Are you ready? 🇲🇽
May 6 | Live on https://t.co/cttCbHkZ6a @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/ewSIvEPy1p
– Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) April 29, 2023
First of all, the fact that Ryder is relatively unknown doesn’t mean he can’t fight. He can. The 35-year-old Londoner proved it with a strong performance in his loss to Callum Smith and victory over Daniel Jacobs.
And he’s the mandatory challenger to Alvarez’s WBO title, which means that in theory, Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) has to fight Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) to protect his belt.
“Every war is dangerous,” Alvarez said. “I’m 100% training for Ryder and I’ll be ready.”
Second, Alvarez, 32, will undergo surgery shortly after his win over rival Gennadiy Golovkin last September to repair damaged cartilage in his left wrist, which he says is a painful problem. in his last three games.
The wound has healed – or he won’t fight – but it makes more sense for him to get back into action against a boxer like Ryder than to jump into a rematch with Dmitry Bivol or a test. other difficulties.
Third, this fight is more about Alvarez’s hometown than the match. He hasn’t fought in his hometown since November 2011 and in his region since June of that year.
It reminds me of Julio Cesar Chavez’s 1993 match against Greg Haugen in front of more than 130,000 people at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. That event was a celebration of a generational talent and countryman’s love of Chavez, not a great match.
Alvarez deserves every right to pay homage to his fans – an estimated 50,000 will be packed with Estadio Akron – in the same way. He earned it.
And finally, a real challenge will come next. Alvarez has made it clear that he plans to take on 175-pound belt holder Bivol for a second time in September, assuming all goes well on Saturday night.
Bivol stunned Alvarez and the boxing world a year ago when handing the superstar his first loss since Floyd Mayweather easily overtook the then 23-year-old in 2013. All three referees gave him his best. Russia won by the same score, 115-113, which does not reflect the dominance of the winner.
Many pundits believe Bivol will repeat his victory, which would dispel any suggestion that Alvarez’s decision to face Ryder means he is avoiding tough fights.
Alvarez has also faced Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Mayweather, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Golovkin twice and Sergey Kovalev. He’s not looking for gentle touches.
He will face Bivol in September if nothing goes wrong in the meantime. And then, win or lose, he will move on to other serious challenges.
That could mean a meeting with the opponent most fans want him to face, 168-pound opponent David Benavidez. Otherwise, you can bet he’ll target other potential enemies with a higher profile than Ryder.
For now, enjoy a good game on Saturday and then work towards bigger, better things.
