Reports: Canelo Alvarez, John Ryder near deal to fight May 6 in Mexico
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez reportedly is near a deal to defend his titles against John Ryder on May 6.
ESPN, citing “sources,” is reporting that the fight is likely to take place in Jalisco, Mexico, although that hasn’t been finalized. Akron Stadium, which holds 46,000-plus, is the front-runner to host the event, according to ESPN.
Alvarez hasn’t fought in his native country since he knocked out Kermit Cintron in 2011.
WBO President Francisco Valcarcel confirmed to Yahoo Sports that Alvarez will be fighting Ryder, a Londoner who has won four fights since he lost a controversial decision to countryman Callum Smith in 2019.
“I can tell you they are going to fight, but they haven’t sent us the letter requesting sanction yet and so I don’t know where,” Valcarcel said.
Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision victory in his third fight against Gennadiy Golovkin in September, after which he had successful surgery his left wrist.
That fight followed his unanimous decision setback against light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol in May of last year, the Mexican’s first loss since he was outpointed by Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
Alvarez reportedly intends to face Bivol a second time this coming September if he defeats Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs), who will be a significant underdog.