Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez made a triumphant return to Mexico with a dominant points victory over John Ryder on Saturday night to comfortably retain his undisputed super middleweight world title.
Alvarez, who has not fought in Mexico since 2011, never looked in danger of losing to Ryder, although the British fighter contributed to an entertaining bout in front of a packed crowd at Estadio Akron in Zapopan.
Ryder, whose face was already a bloody mess by the time Alvarez knocked him down in the fifth round, battled gamely in the latter stages but the undisputed super middleweight champion emerged a clear winner in his first fight in his native Mexico in nearly 12 years.
Judge Jeremy Hayes scored the bout 120-107 for Alvarez while Joe Pasquale and Gerardo Martino both saw it 118-109 for the champion, who delighted a sellout crowd of some 50,000 at the open-air stadium in his hometown.
"It's a historic moment for me," Alvarez, 32, said. "I'm blessed to be here with my people who supported me from the beginning."
Alvarez improved to 59-2-2 with 39 knockouts while Ryder, the mandatory challenger, fell to 38-6 with 18 wins inside the distance.
After a tentative opening round, Alvarez began to open up, landing a bevy of right hands that had Ryder bleeding from the nose and mouth by the third round.
A brutal left-right combination dropped Ryder in the fifth round. He beat the count and held on until the bell, but he was in trouble again in the sixth when another big right from Alvarez had the Briton's knees sagging.
But Ryder, nicknamed "The Gorilla," kept coming. He was down again after a right from Alvarez late in the eighth, but that was ruled a slip and he had bounced back up moments before the bell.
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Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez celebrates after defending his WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF super middleweight world titles against John Ryder at Akron stadium, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 6 2023. EPA -
Saul Alvarez celebrates with his family after his victory over John Ryder. EPA -
Saul Alvarez throws a punch at John Ryder during their fight. Reuters -
Saul Alvarez knocks down John Ryder. Reuters -
John Ryder throws a punch at Saul Alvarez. Reuters -
John Ryder gets knocked down by Saul Alvarez. Reuters -
Saul Alvarez lands a punch on John Ryder during their fight at Akron Stadium. AFP -
Saul Alvarez throws an overhand right at John Ryder. AFP -
John Ryder hits the canvas during his fight against Saul Alvarez. AFP -
Saul Alvarez retreats to the corner after John Ryder hits the canvas. EPA -
Saul Alvarez walks to the ring before the fight against John Ryder. Reuters -
John Ryder walks to the ring before the fight against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Reuters
Shaken again in the ninth, Ryder nevertheless seemed to find a second wind. The 10th and 11th were closer and Alvarez was less effective but had more than enough to hang on.
"He's strong," Alvarez said. "I'm not surprised about it."
But Alvarez, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, was pleased with the performance after a mixed 2022.
He was well beaten by Dmitry Bivol last May after stepping up to light heavyweight before labouring to a unanimous victory over old rival Gennadiy Golovkin in September. He later underwent surgery on his left hand to address a long-running ligament problem.
"I'm happy with the fight," Alvarez said. "I won and I'm happy that people had a great time."
Alvarez admitted he wasn't fully confident in his left hand from the opening bell.
"I needed a couple of rounds to start punching and knowing I'm good with the hand," he said. "Now I know."
And now he wants a rematch with Bivol, reiterating in the ring that he wanted to return to light heavyweight against the undefeated Russian who handed him the second defeat of his career.
"Everybody knows we want Bivol, the rematch with Bivol," Alvarez said, "175 (pounds), same terms, same everything."
