By Sean Jones: Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is intrigued about a possible fight against John ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder in May.
Canelo’s promoter Eddie Hearn has gotten off to an early start, floating the idea of a Canelo-Ryder fight on the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend next May in London, England.
Hearn believes that a fight between Canelo and Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) will get many British fans excited. He could be wrong.
Canelo using the UK as a foxhole
Boxing fans will likely see this as another example of Canelo using the UK as a foxhole to hide from fighting talented opposition like David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, David Morrell, Jermall Charlo, and Artur Beterbiev.
When a person hides from a problem, it’s still there when they come out of their foxholes.
Canelo must face his fears by taking the guys he’s been swerving and dealing with what may come from that. If Canelo gets wiped out by Bivol, Benavidez, Morrell Charlo, or Beterbiev, he can say he tried.
“It would be interesting to fight with him in London. Because he is from there, it would be a very big [clash],” Canelo said in a press conference.
Ryder would be suitable for Canelo as a confidence booster to get him back to looking impressive because he’s not shined since his fight against Avni Yildirim in 2021. Canelo didn’t look good in his recent fights against Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, Gennadiy Golovkin, and Dmitry Bivol.
For his part, Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) appears to be buying into the idea of fighting the 34-year-old Ryder, saying it’ll be a “big” fight when/if it takes place. It’s kind of pathetic that Canelo is now reduced to the level of seeing a fight against the obscure contender Ryder as an example of a “big fight.”
U.S fans not interested in Canelo-Ryder
American boxing fans won’t be excited about Canelo fighting Ryder, and it’s questionable whether the streaming giant will be enthusiastic about that match, given that it’s another no-name opponent for the Mexican star. In the last couple of years, Canelo fought these lackluster opponents:
- Avni Yildirim
- Rocky Fielding
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Callum Smith
- Daniel Jacobs
“The truth is that I haven’t talked about that and have not negotiated an opponent yet,” said Canelo about his fight with Ryder. “I’m focused on rehabilitating my hand and seeing how I feel in January. And see what the doctor tells me.
“We will see if it’s Ryder or any other opponent; I don’t mind.”
If Canelo wants to please his U.S. and UK fans, he must face someone that both countries will find appealing. As I said, Ryder won’t interest American fans, and it’s unclear whether even the Brits will be excited about this match-up because ‘The Gorilla’ isn’t a big star in the UK.