Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder are in the process of finalizing a deal for an undisputed super middleweight title fight on May 6, sources told Sportzshala.
The venue is not yet finalized, sources said, but the fight is expected to take place in Jalisco, Mexico, where the highly anticipated homecoming bout of boxing’s top star will take place.
Alvarez from the capital of Jalisco, Guadalajara. According to Salvador Rodriguez of Sportzshala Deportes, Akron Stadium, a football stadium with a capacity of over 46,000, is the leader, although three more stadiums in Jalisco are possible, including Jalisco Stadium.
This fight will be Canelo’s first in Mexico since 2011, when he defeated Kermit Cintron to retain his 154-pound title. That fight was in Mexico City. Alvarez hasn’t competed in Guadalajara since 2010 before winning his first championship.
Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) will fight for the first time since undergoing surgery on his left wrist in October. The procedure follows Canelo’s victory over Gennady Golovkin in September, ending their trilogy.
The injury also hampered him in an upset loss to Dmitry Bivol in May at 175 pounds, Alvarez’s first loss since he was thrashed by Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
Ryder, a 34-year-old Londoner, will be the main underdog in his second chance at a world title. He was on the wrong end of a controversial decision when he challenged Callum Smith for his 168lb title in 2019.
After the loss, Ryder won four in a row. His last two victories were against Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker last year, in February and November respectively. The victory over Jacobs was a difficult decision, and Parker came off the chair with a broken arm after the 4th round.
Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) won the vacant WBO interim title when he defeated Parker, so Canelo may be able to fulfill one of the four 168-pound title obligations he holds. Ryder, the pressure-fighting southpaw, ranks fourth in Sportzshala’s super middleweight rankings.
Alvarez, meanwhile, is hoping for a rematch with Bivol in September, but this time at 168 pounds for his undisputed championship. Bivol expressed willingness to shed some weight so the fight could take place as soon as Alvarez passes Ryder as expected.
Canelo is a publicist and offline agent, but he will fight for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing on DAZN for the third time in a row.
Source: www.espn.com
