Canelo Alvarez was successful in his return to Mexico, defending his undisputed championship. So, what is next for Alvarez?
Canelo Alvarez delights, defends in Mexico vs. John Ryder
With over 51,000 fans chanting in his favor, Canelo Alvarez retained his undisputed super middleweight championship Saturday night. Alvarez, a native of Mexico fighting in his home country for the first time in over a decade, topped John Ryder via unanimous decision.
The bout headlined the card from Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. Alvarez had last fought in his home country 12 years ago, but had little trouble topping Ryder for this 59th career win.
Once in complete control of the fight, Alvarez went searching for the finish. He continually pushed the pressure in the later rounds in hopes of earning another knockout. Instead, he had to settle for sweeping the scorecards by scores of 120–107, 118-109 and 118-109.
What is next for Alvarez?
The 32-year-old Alvarez is looking to return to action this fall. As for his opponent, he remains focused on defending his titles and seeking out a rematch with Dmitry Bivol.
Outside of a 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather, Bivol is the only other fighter to top Alvarez. Bivol defended his WBA super light heavyweight title via decision during their main event back in 2022.
Bivol finished out last year with another successful title defense, besting Gilberto Ramirez via decision. He is a perfect 21-0 in his career and has held the title since winning the regular WBA belt in 2017.
Julio Cesar Martinez earns another finish
In the co-main event, Julio Cesar Martinez defended his WBC flyweight title with a finish of Ronal Batista.
Martinez picked up his 20th career win and 15th knockout when he caught Batista against the ropes and unloaded, forcing the referee to step in early in the 11th round.
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela made is 3-for-3 in title fights for Mexican boxers with a split decision victory over Steve Spark for the WBA Inter-Continental super lightweight belt.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk finished Ricards Bolotniks in a light heavyweight contest.
