Did Canelo Alvarez win? Who will he fight next? All questions answered from Mexico homecoming
Canelo Alvarez returned to his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico to face off against John Ryder with all his super middleweight championship belts on the line.
Alvarez was dominant throughout the 12 rounds but fell short of knocking out the WBO interim champion even though he knocked him down in the fifth round and bloodied his nose. He ultimately secured a unanimous decision victory with scores of 120-107, 118-109, and 118-109 from the judges, a clear victory.
During his post-fight interview, Alvarez was grateful for the support of the capacity crowd at the Estadio Akron, in his first home fight in over 11 years. He also appreciated the challenge from Ryder and stated his respect for the British boxer:
“It’s historic moment for me. I am blessed to be here with my people who support me from the beginning. I’m glad to be here and I’m very thankful for my people. Yeah, he’s very strong fighter. And you know when they’re going for everything, they turn it on. So they come more difficult than usual but I’m in this position a long time, I know and I respect my opponent."
Amidst rumours of the fight being his last, Canelo Alvarez mentioned who he wants to fight next. A familiar opponent in the form of Dmitry Bivol:
“You know, everybody knows. We want Bivol, the rematch with Bivol. If the fight with Bivol won’t happen, then we’ll see, I’m able to fight everybody. Yep [insists that the fight be at 175 pounds], same rules, same terms, same everything because I just want it at that weight.”
Check out Alvarez's full post-fight interview on Twitter:
🗣️ "This was historic! I'm happy with the fight... John is a very strong fighter. We want Bivol, same rules and terms!" - @Canelo
#CaneloRyder | @DAZNBoxing https://t.co/6YuNmgmdRK
Canelo Alvarez next fight: Dmitry Bivol may not agree with the terms
Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol faced off for the WBA light heavyweight championship in 2022.
Bivol emerged as the surprise winner as he upset Alvarez by a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 115-113 in Bivol's favor. The result maintained Bivol's unbeaten record and foiled Alvarez's return to light heavyweight.
It was only Canelo Alvarez's second loss in his professional career and it's evident why he is so keen to avenge it. However, Bivol is not on the same page as the Mexican boxer and believes he does not need to prove himself at light heavyweight again.
He reasoned to ESPN:
"Why should I even do the rematch at 175? What is the challenge or what is the motivation for me if I've already beaten him at that weight class? And I don't think we should worry about who thinks what. It's really about what we want, what each of us wants. And I think he wants to win, and if he can win, he might have a better chance at 168 because he said that that's his weight class. And for me, there should be some motivation and some challenge."