Saturday, May 6th will see former (depending on whom you ask) pound-for-pound, king Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39KO’s) will make his long-awaited return to the squared circle. He was last seen in September of 2022 after dispatching Gennady Golovkin by unanimous decision. He would end up sitting out the remainder of the year after getting surgery on his right hand and nursing various other injuries.

Opposing him will be John Ryder (32-5, 18KO’s) who has competed for regional titles in the middleweight division. In 2022, he captured the vacant WBO interim Super-Middlewight championship when Zach Parker retired after five rounds. His biggest fight of note was a controversial loss to Callum Smith in 2019.  

I think we as the boxing public know what this fight is. This is Canelo returning to his hometown, in front of 50,000, needing a fight to get back in the groove of things. John Ryder presents a solid name, but unless he ascends to a level we have never seen him achieve before, he is outgunned and overmatched.

My Prediction: Canelo Alvarez TKO 7

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