Key events
Julio Cesar Martinez has just stopped Ronal Batista to retain his WBC flyweight title. The 28-year-old from Mexico City started off slow but came on strong in the second half of the fight before finishing off his opponent under a flurry of punches along the ropes in the 11th round. Next up: Canelo Álvarez v John Ryder.
Álvarez has promised “something special” for tonight’s main event. It’s Canelo’s 35th professional fight on Mexican soil but the first since 26 November 2011, when he stopped Kermit Cintrón inside five rounds in the third defense of his WBO title at 154lbs.
“It’s going to be something special after 12 years,” Álvarez said at yesterday’s ceremonial weigh-in at the Teatro Degollado. “I started my career here in Guadalajara in the little arenas. And now we are in the biggest stadium and the biggest response from the people. It’s going to be one of the best nights of my career for sure. I am really excited for this fight.
“I was always thinking about fighting again in Guadalajara of course. You can expect something special, and the result is even better. I’m glad and grateful that the people respond like this. I’m enjoying this moment a lot. I enjoy this because it is hard to put on this kind of fights and have people respond like this. It’s an honor for me and I’m proud of it. I’m going to bring everything tomorrow night.
“It wasn’t about money. There were a lot of things that made it hard to put the fight here. Everything, TV, moving, things had to change here in Guadalajara. It’s hard to do it but you know I’m happy I made this and I’m happy to bring this fight to Guadalajara.
“For a long time, I didn’t train here in Guadalajara so me training here for the whole month is different. I feel different. The vibes are different. My family is here. My grandma is here. So, it’s been different, but I enjoy everything. Eddy Reynoso said to me, ‘You need to enjoy this moment because you deserve it. Enjoy what you do because this is such a big thing.’ I am just enjoying and thanking all my people and the response is just amazing, so I enjoy it a lot.
“You know it is going to be a good fight when a fighter is coming forward. John is a good fighter. He’s southpaw and he throws punches from everywhere. It’ll be a little bit difficult in the first rounds, but I have the experience and I need to handle it.”
Álvarez, who has captured titles at four weights from 154lbs through 175lbs, came in at exactly 168lbs at Friday’s official weigh-in, which took place behind closed doors ahead of an affair for show later in the day. Ryder, who picked up the WBO’s interim title against Zach Parker in November and was declared Canelo’s mandatory challenger, came in one pound below the division limit at 167lbs.
Prelude
Hello and welcome to Guadalajara for tonight’s main event between Canelo Álvarez and John Ryder. It’s a long-awaited homecoming for boxing’s biggest star as the 32-year-old Álvarez fights in his hometown for the first time in 12 years, putting his WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF super middleweight title belts on the line before an expected capacity crowd at the Estadio Akron, the 50,000-seat home of Liga MX side CD Guadalajara that is expected to host some matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Ryder, the 34-year-old Islington southpaw nicknamed the Gorilla, will go off as a 9-1 underdog in tonight’s fight. He’s a very long shot to succeed where seven others from Britain before him (Matthew Hatton, Ryan Rhodes, Amir Khan, Liam Smith, Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders) have come up short. But with Álvarez entering off an uncommonly tepid 2022 campaign (which included a loss to Dmitry Bivol at 175lbs, a by-the-numbers points win over a faded Gennady Golovkin followed by surgery on his left wrist), there’s a sense of hope in Ryder’s camp that tonight’s fight is coming along at the right time. As the great Bert Sugar once wrote: the door to opportunity rarely needs a picked lock, merely the right combination.
The final undercard bout of the night is under way with Álvarez and Ryder expected to make their ringwalks in roughly one hour. Plenty to come between now and then.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Donald McRae’s interview with the challenger in tonight’s main event.
