Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder earned each others respect on Saturday.

Canelo Alvarez got the expected win over John Ryder on Saturday at Estadio Akron in Mexico, but he had to work hard for 12 rounds to do it, with the incredibly tough Ryder refusing to go away and lasting the distance.

Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KO) put Ryder (32-6, 18 KO) down hard in round five — hard enough that you might have thought the bout was over there, or would be shortly.

It was not. Ryder just kept coming, kept trying to win the fight, and though he didn’t have an argument to win more than a handful of rounds in the fight, kept landing good shots on the undisputed super middleweight champ.

The two warriors met up backstage after the fight to share their hard-earned respect with one another:

Canelo: “Good fight.
Ryder: “Good fight. Good shot!”
Canelo: “Yeah, I know. In the second round, at the end of the round, right?”
Ryder: “Yeah, yeah. Last shot, as well. Just before the bell.”
Canelo: “Yeah, I felt it. You’re tough. You’ve very strong. Glad to share the ring with you.”
Ryder: “Thank you, it’s an honor.”
Canelo: “Thank you so much. Thank you.”

For Canelo, his sights are now set on a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, which he wants at 175 lbs, the same conditions as their first bout last year, which Bivol won. Bivol has indicated a desire to do it at 168, feeling he’s already shown he can beat Canelo at 175, and that the prize — that undisputed championship at super middleweight — is greater in Canelo’s division.

The fight probably will happen in September, and we’ll see what the contract comes out to be. A catchweight does nothing for either side’s desires, so don’t expect that.

Ryder goes back home to the United Kingdom with a loss, but I’m guessing a lot of fans made on the night, and a deserved newfound respect the world over. Back at the hotel, he received the reception he deserved:

Author: Staff

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