By Craig Daly: Many fans wonder why Canelo Alvarez is fighting John Ryder on Saturday night instead of a more notable guy like David Benavidez or Jermall Charlo.
The simple reason is undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) has no choice in the matter because Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) is his WBO mandatory, and it’s due.
That is to say, if Canelo refused to defend against Ryder now, he’d be stripped of his WBO belt by the World Boxing Organization, and he would no longer be the undisputed four-belt champion.
Ryder will face Canelo this Saturday night in the headliner on DAZN PPV at the Estadio Akron in Guadalupe, Mexico. The event will be shown live on DAZN at 8:00 p.m. ET. Subscribers can order it for $54.99 on pay-per-view.
“Why would I my biggsest fight an easy one? I know what the mammoth challenge I have in front of me. I’m fully prepared for it. I’ve had a great camp with [trainer] Tony Sims,” said John Ryder to Secondsout on his fight this Saturday night against Canelo Alvarez in Guadalajara.
“I know what I’m up against, but I believe timing is everything in this sport. The timing is right for me. Maybe we’ll have two keeps this weekend in England. King Charles and King John dethroning Canelo.
“That’s why this fight is so special. I’ve had the adversity of my close fights going the other way in the past, and them dark days leading to bright mornings. This has all prepared me for now. In the subconscious mind, it would have broken many men.
“I’ve kept faith, I’ve dug deep, and I’ve got a fantastic team with trainers, managers, coaches. I think it’s all led up until now for this particular reason for this fight.
“It’s nice that Canelo comes with that payback because them belts aren’t going to put food on the table. We need that cold hard cash. It gives me an opportunity to sort out my kids and my partner to give us a good life.
“I’ve paid my dues in this sport, I’ve been in it a long time, so I think I’ve massively earned this shot. The payday comes with it regardless.
“They’ve done their research and seen the five losses on my record; obviously not against the same caliber of opposition that Canelo has faced, although he’s faced a lot of people I’ve lost to,” said Ryder, about the oddsmakers having him a huge underdog against Canelo.
“These fights against Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, and Billy Joe Saunders were ultra-close fights,” Ryder said about the guys he lost to.
“I believe I beat Rocky Fielding. I believe I beat Callum Smith, and me and Billy Joe was a really close fight that could have been a draw. The other two close fights [Jack Arnfield and Nick Blackwell], I believe I won them and won them well,” said Ryder.
