Canelo Alvarez vs John Ryder

Canelo vs Ryder Preview

The iconic Mexican Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring for the first time this year and puts all four of his super middleweight belts on the line against John Ryder, the Gorilla from Islington.

Canelo is not in the searing form that we've grown accustomed to of late; he had a less than stellar 2022 in which he lost to Dmitry Bivol in May. He was far from his best against Golovkin although he did win in September and he's also had some pretty serious surgery on an injured wrist.

 

Canelo vs Ryder Predictions & Betting Tips

Eddie Hearn, who we should point out promotes both men in this fight, has suggested there's no better time for Ryder to attempt to pull off what would be one of if not the biggest upsets involving a British boxer in the history of this sport.

Canelo returns to Guadalajara to fight for the first time since 2011 and he's adamant he wants to put on a show for his people. And let’s not forget he’s the biggest Brit basher of them all having beaten no fewer than seven Englishmen during the course of his career.

He is the overwhelming favourite in this fight (best price 1/16), and rightly so when you look at their two bodies of work, but I do think there's some value in this fight if you're like me and you believe Ryder is capable of taking this into the later rounds.

Many people have dismissed it as a mismatch, particularly in America, but I don't think that's strictly true. I think Ryder has earned his place, he's here on merit and he knows he can alter the course of his family's life for generations to come if he is to pull off the upset.

But him and his team will also be acutely aware that there is such a thing as losing well in this fight. He could give a good account of himself in defeat, paving the way for some more big nights and big money over the next couple of years should he decide to box on at the age of 34?

We know he's a well-schooled Southpaw and he can be hard to nail down - just ask Callum Smith or Danny Jacobs. It's hard to sit here and make a case for him winning the fight as I don't see him getting a decision in Guadalajara - he'd have to run away with it, which isn’t going to happen.

I also don't envisage him knocking Canelo out. But what he is capable of doing is taking this one late, maybe frustrating an overeager Canelo and getting into those later rounds. And that's why I like the price that DAZN Bet have boosted for Canelo to win between rounds nine and 12 (boosted to 4/1 from a best price 13/5 anywhere else).

Canelo took out Caleb Plant in 11, Sergey Kovalev in 12 and Liam Smith in nine, while Billy Joe Saunders got pulled out between eight and nine. And who knows, maybe Tony Sims pulls Ryder out towards the end of the fight? 34 years old, a magnificent servant to the sport with a wife and kids at home, save him to fight for another day.

Or if you believe that Ryder can do what Callum Smith did and take Canelo the distance, that price for a Canelo decision is also pretty tempting as well.