The WBC has created a new Puebla-Jalisco belt for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s title defense against his WBO mandatory John Ryder on May 6th in Guadalajara, Mexico.
It looks like a beautiful belt that is an excellent addition to Canelo-Ryder fight ten days from now on DAZN. Canelo (58-2-1, 39 KOs) has a tough fight going up against Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs), who will be making the long trip from England to challenge him for his four 168-lb belts.
Canelo is coming off of hand surgery to repair an injury to caused him to struggle last year against Gennadiy Golovkin and Dmitry Bivol. He’s hoping that he’ll be back to normal against Ryder, but we’ll see if that’s the case.
“There’s an extra layer when you’re fighting at home, and I think that’s why Canelo wanted it to be there,” said Chris Algieri to Fino Boxing about Canelo Alvarez fighting John Ryder at home in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 6th.
“He [Canelo] never fought in England, which I thought was a great idea. They have fantastic fans over there. Introducing Canelo Alvarez to England would be a good idea, but he went with his heart and wanted to fight back at home.
I think John Ryder is actually a good opponent. A lot of people aren’t giving him any kind of credit. They want to talk badly about Canelo, but everyone wants to do that all the time. Canelo gets a lot [of criticism] because he’s the man. I get it.
“I think John Ryder is much better than people give him credit for. He’s very crafty, and he’s physically strong. They didn’t nickname him ‘The Gorilla’ for no reason. He’s got a little bit of a height advantage of Canelo. They’re closer in size.
“Canelo does really well against bigger guys, bigger slower guys. John’s not that type of guy. So it’s a different kind of fight, and also Canelo is coming off a hand injury. Fighting a durable guy like him, that’s not an easy fight.
“So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Canelo struggles in that fight, and he’s going to get even more criticism, but John Ryder is an excellent fighter.
“I’m going to agree with my man, Oscar De La Hoya. I don’t think he ever beats [Dmitry] Bivol,” Algieri said about Canelo. “It’s a style nightmare. I said it before they fought the first time. The way he [Bivol] fights in and out, the touching, the size, youth, it’s just too much.
“There are too many things. We’re fighters. I’ve done this myself, and there are times when we ain’t too hot. There are things that you think you can do when you’re a champion and that you can beat anyone in the world, but there are too many factors that go against Canelo in that match-up [Bivol] for me,” said Algeiri.
