Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did not miss his return “home”, eleven years later. In front of an audience all committed to his cause, Saturday, May 6, in his hometown of Guadalajara, the Mexican beat the Briton John Ryder by unanimous decision. The 32-year-old boxer retains his WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF and The Ring belts, thus remaining the undisputed super middleweight champion.

He only missed a K.-O. for the evening to be perfect, but Canelo Alvarez was logically given the winner by the three judges (120-107, 118-109, 118-109 in points count). He now has 59 wins – including 39 before the limit -, 2 draws and 2 defeats.

John Ryder, worked with all his heart to go to the end of the twelve times. And it was not easy: his rival’s right hand hurt him, several times. Hit in the 3rd round, by a powerful blow, his nose continued to bleed thereafter.

On the 5th round, he was knocked down for the first time and struggled to get up before the referee’s count was over. While observers thought the end of the fight was near, the London native showed remarkable resilience. Hard on evil, he did not hide to avoid confrontation, not hesitating to attack even if it meant taking a lot.

On a counter, with a right hook, Canelo knocked him down in the 8th round, but he was saved by the bell. A swollen face turning purple, John Ryder managed to finish the fight standing, even if he signed his 6th defeat in 38 clashes.

“Everyone knows I want Bivol”

“He was a tough, tenacious fighter. I’m not surprised, I respect him a lot for that,” the Mexican greeted after his win, saying he was “happy with this fight.”

Considered for several years as the best boxer in all categories, Canelo Alvarez showed on Saturday that he had turned the page on a complicated year 2022, marked by a second failed foray into light heavyweight, three years after a first victorious where he had won the WBO belt.

In Las Vegas a year ago, he came up against the solidity of Russian Dmitri Bivol, who, by unanimous decision of the judges, had retained his WBA title – Alvarez’s second loss, nine years after his loss against American Floyd Mayweather. Today, the native of Guadalajara is considering revenge: “everyone knows I want Bivol”, he launched in the ring, after the fight against John Ryder.

He needs a challenge greater than that offered by the competition in the super middleweight, whose titles he unified in November 2021. His great rival, the Kazakh Gennady Golovkin, 40, had not could not worry him for their third fight in September 2022, after a controversial draw and a sluggish victory.

But Canelo Alvarez was not convinced and some were considering a possible end to his reign, especially since he has since undergone surgery on his left hand to treat a ligament problem. On Saturday, the Mexican proved that he did not intend to give up the throne.