Canelo Álvarez sets ring return to face John Ryder in Mexico
FILE - Canelo Alvarez celebrates after defeating Gennady Golovkin in their super middleweight title boxing match, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Las Vegas. Alvarez will fight in May 2023 in his native Mexico to defend his super middleweight titles. Credit: AP/John Locher
LOS ANGELES — Canelo Álvarez will return to the ring May 6 in his native Guadalajara, Mexico, to defend his four super middleweight title belts against Britain's John Ryder.
Promoter Matchroom Boxing announced Álvarez's next fight Tuesday. The bout will be at Akron Stadium, the home of Mexican soccer club Chivas.
Álvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) is fighting for the first time since he won the final bout in his famed trilogy with Gennady Golovkin by unanimous decision last September. Álvarez also will be fighting one year after his one-sided upset loss to Dmitry Bivol in a light heavyweight bout.
The 32-year-old Álvarez is returning on Cinco de Mayo weekend to fight in Mexico for the first time in 11 1/2 years.
Álvarez, who lives in San Diego for most of the year, has staged his last 22 bouts in the U.S. He hasn't fought in Mexico since beating Kermit Cintron in Mexico City in November 2011, and he hasn't fought in his hometown since June 2011.
Álvarez had surgery on his left hand late last year, but he has recovered quickly enough to take on his next challenge. He collected all four 168-pound world title belts during an impressive four-fight run through the division starting in late 2020 and ending with a stoppage of Caleb Plant in November 2021.
“I feel really happy to be coming back in May, because following my surgery, I was unsure of when I’d be coming back,” Álvarez said in a statement. “Returning to the ring and coming back to fight in Jalisco, where I’m from, makes me especially happy."
The 34-year-old Ryder (32-5-0, 18 KOs) will be a significant underdog, but he has earned interim versions of two super middleweight world title belts during his current four-fight unbeaten run.
Ryder fought twice in 2022 and earned arguably the two biggest victories of his career, winning a split decision over former middleweight champion Danny Jacobs before stopping previously unbeaten Zach Parker last November.
