By Dan Ambrose: Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder negotiations could be completed within 48 hours and ready for an official announcement later this week for May 6th in Guadalajara, Mexico, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
The deal is close to being done for the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) to return to action against his WBO mandatory Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) on DAZN on May 6th.
The rationale for Canelo to face British fighter Ryder is based on him coming off left wrist surgery, and he wants to fight someone that won’t really push him.
Will fans bail on DAZN if Canelo vs. Ryder is on PPV?
It could be a mistake choosing Ryder because he’s got a great engine, and he’s going to pressure Canelo every step of the way, force him to fight harder than he’d like or is capable of at this stage of his career.
Hearn hasn’t said yet whether Canelo vs. Ryder would be sold on DAZN PPV. Obviously, with the huge price hikes in the subscription rates for DAZN, subscribers will be livid if this fight is sold on PPV.
Ryder is a good fighter, but he’s not one of the guys that boxing fans want to see Canelo fight on May 6th. As such, there could be a mutiny among DAZN subscribers if Canelo-Ryder is on PPV. It could be another mutiny on the bounty with fans taking the role of Fletcher Christian and setting DAZN adrift.
“Conversations are ongoing with Saul and Eddy Reynoso, and John Ryder is the guy. Contracts are going backwards and forwards and we hope that in the next 48 hours, we’ll be in a good position to get that fight done,” said Eddie Hearn to the DAZN Boxing Show about the May 6th fight between Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder.
“Obviously, Canelo has announced that May 6th will be the historic event in Guadalajara, which will be just an incredible event for the country and for Canelo Alvarez.
Ryder gets a golden parachute
“We hope that will be John Ryder. He’s the mandatory challenger. He’s the interim champion for the WBO. So fingers crossed, we’ll get that all wrapped up. Everything is looking great, and hopefully, we’ll have some positive news later in the week,” said Hearn about Canelo’s next fight on May 6th against ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder.
It’s perfectly understandable why Hearn is on board for Canelo to fight Ryder because he promoted the British fighter for years, so he’s helping out one of his Matchroom stable fighters by giving him a life-changing payday against Alvarez that will be an excellent golden parachute for the 34-year-old to give him a soft landing into retirement.
