John Ryder will be rewarded for reviving his career with a clash against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in the Mexican star’s backyard Saturday night in Guadalajara’s Akron Stadium on DAZN pay-per-view. 

Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) has won four straight fights since losing a November 2019 unanimous decision to former Alvarez foe and WBA super middleweight titlist Callum Smith.

The 34-year-old Ryder’s bounceback run was capped off by a banner year in 2022 with a stoppage win against Zach Parker and a split decision victory against Daniel Jacobs. 

“It wasn’t my time then [when I lost to Smith], but now I plan on making [Alvarez’s] belts my belts,” Ryder told Marcos Villegas in an interview with Fight Hub TV.

“I’m really happy about that. It’s not been gifted to me. I’ve had to work hard for it time and time again. So now I feel like it’s my time. The timing is right … I wouldn’t say I lost hope, but the path was often cloudy and foggy, and at times I was walking with no destination in mind. Just one step in front of the other. I kept faith, and here we are.”

Ryder will be sporting a one-inch height advantage and a 1 ½ inch reach advantage against Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs). 

“We’re similar height and similar build, so I think it’s going to blend for a great fight. A lot of people are commenting on how much alike we are. I just hope that it’ll blend well for fight night and it’ll make for a great fight,” said Ryder.

“I’ve watched every Canelo fight since the late 2000s. If there’s a Canelo fight, I tune in. I’ve seen it all, so it won’t be hard for me to watch it again and study it now as an opponent. I’ve got a great trainer in Tony Sims, and he will be working hard to pick things out, and come May 6, we’ll have a great game plan.”  

Ryder will arguably be Alvarez’s softest touch ever since the four-division champion stopped Avni Yildirim in three rounds in 2021, as well as in 2018, when Alvarez also stopped Rocky Fielding in three rounds. 

As Ryder was ascending in 2022, Alvarez descended by suffering his second career defeat when he stepped up to light heavyweight to face Dmitry Bivol. He also comfortably beat archrival Gennadiy Golovkin in a trilogy bout. 

Shortly after the Golovkin fight, Alvarez underwent left hand surgery. 

“Let’s be fair. Canelo has a lot of miles on the clock now, he’s not getting any younger, and he’s had a lot of hard fights. The year of 2021 really took its toll on Saul with the three fights in a year [against Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant]. Obviously, he became undisputed, but who knows what toll that took on his body deep down,” said Ryder. 

“Obviously, last year wasn’t great with the Bivol defeat, and the fight against Golovkin wasn’t a vintage performance, but he got the win, and obviously surgery. So he’s coming back. We don’t know what Saul has got left, but we’ve got to treat him like he’s the best Canelo that he’s ever been.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.