Canelo Alvarez is set to fight in front of 50,000 fans at the Akron Stadium in his hometown of Jaliso as it celebrates 200 years of independence.
The man – also known as Saúl, will defend his undisputed super-middleweight title against John Ryder in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Canelo vs Ryder occurs on Saturday, May 6, live worldwide on DAZN and DAZN PPV in the United States and Canada.
Canelo Alvarez returns to Mexico
The event represents the first time in over eleven and a half years that Canelo has fought in Mexico.
Canelo [58-2-2 39 KOs] defends his four-belt crown for the second time after beating bitter rival Gennadiy Golovkin in their trilogy battle in Las Vegas in September.
Before that, he ripped the IBF title from Caleb Plant in Sin City, Las Vegas, in November 2021. Canelo won via an eleventh-round stoppage.
The Mexican superstar will emotionally return to his homeland for his latest Cinco de Mayo showdown.
It will be 4180 days since he last stepped through the ropes in Mexico. He stopped Kermit Cintron in Mexico City in five rounds to defend his WBO World Light-Middleweight title.
The 32-year-old four-weight ruler fights for the 63rd time in his storied career. He’s closing in on 18 years as a pro.
Cinco de Mayo weekend will see him fight for the 35th time in his homeland. It promises to be a spectacular occasion, with the state of Jalisco marking two centuries.
The Gorilla
His opponent, the WBO mandatory challenger Ryder [32-5 18 KOs], will be looking to spoil the party. The likable Londoner travels to Mexico for the biggest fight of his twelve-year career.
‘The Gorilla’ landed the WBO interim title in his last fight when Zach Parker retired on his stool after four rounds of their clash in London, England, last November.
That win for the 34-year-old followed a career-best victory earlier in 2022 over former Middleweight ruler and old Canelo rival Daniel Jacobs.
Ryder has also tackled Callum Smith in a fight he should have won. He lost the super middleweight title fight via a highly contentious split decision.
May 6 will represent the first time Canelo has squared off against a ‘Gorilla’ as fifty thousand adoring fans watch their hero in action.
