WATCH: Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder show respect after brutal fight

Following Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder, the two stars paid respect to one another.

The two super-middleweight champions headlined a DAZN pay-per-view outing on Saturday, May 6. For Alvarez, the fight was a homecoming, as it was his first bout in Mexico in over a decade. For Ryder, he was walking into the Lion's Den.

All in all, very few expected 'The Gorilla' to pose a big challenge to the Mexican superstar, and it played out that way. Alvarez dominated the contest, busting up the British star's face. He wound up scoring multiple knockdowns en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory to retain the gold.

While he came up short, it was hard to not feel happy for John Ryder in defeat. While he was battered in the contest, the British contender showed his trademark heart and refused to stop marching forward. While he commanded the respect of fans, he did the same for Canelo Alvarez.

In a video posted to social media by Matchroom Boxing, the two super-middleweights showed respect backstage. In the video, Alvarez is seen having a conversation with Ryder, stating:

"Yeah I felt [the shots]! You're tough, very strong. I was glad to share the ring with you, thank you so much."

Watch Alvarez and Ryder's backstage conversation in the video below:

Respect after battle 🤝

@Canelo x @_John_Ryder_

#CaneloRyder ✅ https://t.co/ArkvvSycF8

Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder: Who will the champion face next?

Following Canelo Alvarez's win over John Ryder, he called out Dmitry Bivol.

Over the last few months, there's been a groundswell of support for David Benavidez. 'The Mexican Monster' is coming off a destructive win over Caleb Plant that has had names such as Mike Tyson predict that he will dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

Following his latest win over 'Sweet Hands', many figured that a clash between Benavidez and Alvarez would be next. However, that seemingly won't be the case, as the unified super-middleweight champion called out Dmitry Bivol on fight night.

The two faced off previously in May 2021. In that outing, the Russian scored a dominant unanimous decision victory to hand Alvarez his first loss in nearly a decade. While Bivol has not been interested in a rematch, the Mexican champion couldn't disagree more.

In the post-fight interview, Canelo Alvarez called for the high-profile rematch, stating:

"Everybody knows, we want the rematch with Bivol. If that fight with Bivol doesn't happen, then we'll see. I am able to fight anybody. Same rules, same terms, same everything. I just want it that way."

See his comments in the video below:

🗣️ "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