Canelo Alvarez Shows Interest In John Ryder For London Debut
Not much has been brewing about undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (58-2-2, 39KO) after his expected win in a trilogy over unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in September. Outside of needing surgery to repair his hand from an injury in the Golovkin fight, the name “John Ryder” has popped up a few times as a possible opponent for his next fight.
Ryder (32-5, 18KO) dubbed “The Gorilla” had a satisfying year for his career. After receiving the biggest win on his resume by defeating former middleweight champ Daniel Jacobs in February, Ryder won a WBO eliminator against then undefeated #1 contender Zach Parker. This win granted him the right to face Canelo via a possible WBO mandate.
Despite the gap in skill level between these two, Canelo showed interest in a transcript presented by IZQUIERDAZO. More than fighting Ryder, he seems attracted to taking his first fight in the United Kingdom.
“It would be interesting to fight with him [John Ryder] in London. Because he is from there, it would be a very big [fight].
“But the truth is that I haven’t talked about that, and have not negotiated an opponent yet. I’m focused on the rehabilitation of my hand, and see how I feel in January. And see what the doctor tells me”.
While Ryder has earned a title shot, he doesn’t really have much of a shot at beating Canelo anywhere! He has a very aggressive style with limited defensive acumen. This makes him “tailor made” for the counter-punching ability of the undisputed champion. Regardless, it’s hard to root against “The Gorilla” getting another title shot. Especially since many fans believe his first against then WBA super champion Callum Smith was one he should have won.
RELATED: Ryder On Smith Loss: “I Showed My Worth! I Should Be Champion!”
Fans have to expect Canelo’s return to the ring after surgery would not be against an elite fighter. Although, it was Alvarez himself who kept pursuing a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol for his next bout, that would be an unrealistic return bout given his injury. Therefore, fans may need to gear-up for a lesser-skilled, but worthy opponent next for Canelo whether it is Ryder or not.
By: EJ Williams
