Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez v John Ryder: Home favourite Alvarez defends undisputed super-middleweight crown

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has fought 63 times arsenic a professional

Home favourite Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez bushed Britain's John Ryder successful beforehand of 50,000 raucous and impassioned Mexican fans connected a historical nighttime successful Guadalajara.

Alvarez, 32, dominated the combat and dropped Ryder successful circular five, but the Londoner fought backmost well.

Two judges scored the bout 118-109 and the different 120-107 to Alvarez.

The four-weight satellite champion won his 59th combat since turning professional, with 2 losses and 2 draws.

Ryder loses his sixth combat successful 38 bouts and has present doubly failed astatine satellite rubric level, aft being defeated by Briton Callum Smith for the WBA 'Super' rubric successful 2019.

"The powerfulness of Canelo, the assemblage enactment - fantastic," promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live. "John showed helium was a world-class combatant but Canelo is 1 of the champion ever. John deserves monolithic respect tonight."

Alvarez dominates gutsy Ryder

In a combat billed arsenic the 'King is coming home', Alvarez extended his reign arsenic the ruler of super-middleweight division.

After 8 months retired of the ringing pursuing country connected his near hand, determination were nary signs of immoderate effects of Alvarez's wounded arsenic helium landed 2 thudding near hooks to Ryder's assemblage successful the opening round.

Ryder's task got each the much harder aft Alvarez busted the challenger's chemoreceptor 2 rounds later, leaving him with a bloodied look which would hinder him for the remainder of the contest.

Ryder is simply a bullish boxer who vowed to instrumentality the combat to Alvarez, but helium was forced connected the backmost ft with Alvarez dictating the gait and stalking Ryder astir the ringing aboriginal on.

The assemblage erupted successful circular 5 arsenic Alvarez floored Ryder with a sensational left-right combination. Ryder staggered backwards earlier falling to the canvas. He got up astatine the number of 8 but, with his legs inactive wobbled, did good to past the round.

Ryder earned a lucrative, life-changing changeable astatine Alvarez by becoming WBO mandatory and winning the interim title. But helium was astatine times warring connected instinct. Whatever Ryder threw, Alvarez would hardly flinch.

Ryder was dropped successful the eighth but it was declared a slip, earlier a sensational circular nine.

Another Alvarez operation had the referee poised to measurement in, but a gutsy Ryder stood and traded with Alvarez, showing unthinkable bosom and bravery.

"John came successful to the combat erstwhile it looked similar the combat was over," Hearn said. "He stayed successful the fight. The much John threw the much occurrence helium was having. What a gutsy performance."

Ryder, needing a stoppage, began to onshore with much easiness successful the title rounds. The effect became inevitable, but the mode successful which Ryder recovered from those aboriginal and mediate rounds, trading and landing connected Alvarez, won the respect of the crowd.

Emotive, electrical and epic

It was an lawsuit that volition spell down successful Mexican boxing history, and 1 which could rival immoderate boxing ambiance astir the world.

Police helicopters circled a stadium lit up by smartphone torches. Quite appropriately, determination was a Mexican wave.

Ryder has taken a backseat passim the 'Alvarez show' during combat week. He insisted the juncture would not overwhelm him, but precise small could hole him for the hostile reception and jeers helium received during his ringing walk.

Then came the emotive, electrical and epic Alvarez entrance. A montage of his beingness appeared connected the large screen, fireworks changeable up into the Guadalajara nighttime entity and a mariachi set of astir 50 members played the champion into the ring.

All the while, Ryder continued to shadiness container and hold patiently.

Alvarez, warring successful his location state for the archetypal clip since 2011, is arguably the biggest pay-per-view prima successful boxing, but successful Mexico helium is simply a existent icon whose level of fame successful Mexico is unmatched.

What's adjacent for Alvarez?

After a decision by Dmitry Bivol astatine light-heavyweight and by a below-par show successful a triumph implicit Gennady Golovkin successful 2022, determination were immoderate questions implicit whether Alvarez's champion days were down him.

There was immense anticipation connected Alvarez to present against Ryder. He whitethorn not person got the knockout, but helium won convincingly against a crippled hostile connected a nighttime erstwhile anticipation was entity high.

Boxing fans are calling for a mouth-watering clash against erstwhile satellite champion David Benavidez. The undefeated American has 23 knockout wins successful 27 fights.

Alvarez says helium wants to avenge his decision against Bivol and go a two-time light-heavyweight champion.

There are not galore contests wherever Alvarez would spell successful arsenic the underdog, but the classy Bivol was a wide victor successful the archetypal fight.

Retirement for Ryder?

Ryder was connected the cusp of legendary status, but became the eighth Briton beaten by Alvarez.

A combatant who has shown unthinkable grit and determination successful a vocation afloat of ups and down, Ryder had an accidental to daze the satellite and beryllium the archetypal antheral English boxer to go undisputed champion successful the four-belt era.

Victory implicit Alvarez would person besides been arguably the top by a British boxer overseas, but it was ever going to a gangly order.

He had suggested it whitethorn not beryllium clip to bent up the gloves and walk much clip with his family, and the mode of his decision means large fights whitethorn inactive beryllium determination for Ryder.

Whether helium hangs up the gloves oregon not, Ryder leaves Guadalajara knowing helium played his portion successful a memorable and historical night.