Canelo Álvarez returns to fight in Mexico for the first time in 4,180 days

The wait is over and after successfully recovering from surgery on his left wrist back in November, Saúl Canelo Álvarez is ready to return to the ring. The undisputed super middleweight fighter confirmed on Tuesday that he will be defending his title against John Ryder on 6 May at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“This is a moment that will be forever ingrained in the history of boxing and Mexican sport,” said Eddie Hearn. “Canelo Álvarez defending his undisputed championship in his hometown in front of 50,000 fans will be an incredible sight and a night we will never forget.

“In John Ryder, you have a mandatory challenger that has paid his dues and off the back of big wins against Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker is ready for the ultimate challenge. See you 6 May in Guadalajara for something very special, live on DAZN,” concluded Hearn.

First fight of the year

This will be his first fight after convincingly defeating Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy fight back in September 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be his second title defense since defeating GGG and taking the IBF belt from Caleb Plant in November 2021.

“I feel really happy to be coming back in May because following my surgery, I was unsure of when I’d be coming back,” said Canelo. “Returning to the ring and coming back to fight in Jalisco, where I’m from, makes me especially happy. And in John Ryder, I’m facing a very competitive fighter.”

The last time that the 32-year-old fought in Mexico was 4,180 days ago, when he did five rounds in Mexico City to defend his WBO junior middleweight title. In his near-18-year career as a professional boxer, Canelo has a record of 58-2-2, including 39 KOs. This will be the 35th time that he fights in Mexico and one of the biggest reasons why Canelo wanted to fight in his hometown of Jalisco is because it will mark 200 years of independence.