Canelo Alvarez to defend undisputed title against John Ryder in homecoming to Mexico

Pound-for-pound superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is set to fight in his home country of Mexico again after more than eleven years when he defends his WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF world super middleweight titles against John Ryder on May 6 at Akron Stadium in Zapopan.

Alvarez, 58-2-2 with 39 knockouts as a pro, is coming off a unanimous decision nod in his trilogy against Gennady Golovkin last September. He underwent surgery on his left hand following the fight and says he thought that he might not box again.

“I feel really happy to be coming back in May because following my surgery, I was unsure of when I'd be coming back,” said Alvarez.

“Returning to the ring and coming back to fight in Jalisco, where I'm from, makes me especially happy. And in John Ryder, I'm facing a very competitive fighter.”

Ryder, meanwhile, is 32-5 with 18 knockouts as a pro. He is on a four-fight winning streak two of which he won by way of stoppage. According to Ryder, he is out to take the belts in front of Alvarez’s hometown crowd.

“I’m not going over there for a holiday. For me, this is purely business and my full focus is on going into his backyard in Guadalajara on May 6 and bringing those belts back with me to the UK,” Ryder stated.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News