Canelo Alvarez next fight: Mexican superstar set for homecoming against John Ryder on Cinco de Mayo weekend

The tradition of boxing’s biggest superstars taking on Cinco de Mayo weekend continues. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is set to defend his status as the undisputed super middleweight champion against John Ryder. The fight will take place on May 6 in Jalisco, Mexico, Alvarez’s hometown, Matchroom Boxing reported Tuesday.

After ending 2021 with a rout of Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion at 168 pounds, Alvarez has had a tough 2022. outboxed by Dmitry Bivol.

Alvarez returned to super middleweight for his next fight, a trilogy with opponent Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez managed to win by unanimous decision, but in a much less impressive fashion than many expected. After the fight, Alvarez revealed that he would need wrist surgery, an injury that bothered him in several fights. This injury kept him on the shelf for over six months.

Ryder makes a second bid for the world title. In November 2019, Ryder lost a decision to then-WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith. Ryder seemed to have done more than enough to deserve the win, but the controversial scorecards didn’t do him any good.

Since then, Ryder has racked up four wins in a row, last stopping Zach Parker to win the WBO interim championship, making him one of Alvarez’s mandatory title contenders.

Alvarez has not fought in Mexico since November 2011, when he retained his WBC junior middleweight title with a stoppage victory over Kermit Cintron. A rematch with Bivol remains one of Alvarez’s top goals for the end of the 2023 calendar.