Canelo Alvarez successfully defended his WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles in a unanimous decision win against John Ryder and expressed interest in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol.
Canelo Alvarez has proven that he is here to stay, silencing any rumors of retirement. In a fight on Saturday, Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) showcased his skills as he outworked and outlasted a gritty John Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs), ultimately achieving a wide unanimous decision win. The official scores were 120-107, 118-109, and 118-109 in the champion’s favor.
By securing this victory, Alvarez successfully defended his WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles, maintaining his undisputed status at super middleweight. In the aftermath of the fight, Canelo praised Ryder and expressed how special it was for him to compete in his home country of Mexico for the first time in 11 years. When discussing his future plans, Canelo confirmed that he would prefer a rematch with WBA super light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him in May 2022. “Everybody knows we want the rematch with Bivol,” Canelo said during his post-fight interview. “If the fight doesn’t happen, then we’ll see.” He also insisted that the circumstances of the rematch remain the same as their first fight, with him moving up in weight to challenge Bivol.
Despite Canelo’s well-deserved win on points, Ryder should feel no shame in his performance. Throughout the 12 rounds, he hung in with the champion, consistently pushing through punches to close the distance, attempting to work inside. However, Canelo established his jab and repeatedly landed his power right hand, ultimately proving too much for Ryder to handle. After being bloodied in the early rounds by a clean punch, Ryder was most vulnerable in Round 5 when a stiff 1-2 combination left him wobbling and on one knee. He managed to answer the count and survive the onslaught from Canelo, avoiding a potential knockout. Even though a 40th career KO win slipped through Canelo’s fingers, he continued to assert his dominance over his opponent. Now, with two consecutive wins since his loss to Bivol, Canelo’s record grows more impressive, while Ryder’s four-fight win streak comes to an end.