For the first time in over a decade, Canelo Alvarez will fight in his native Mexico. On May 6, the current undisputed champion of the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight division will defend his title against John Ryder at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

 

“I feel really happy to be coming back in May, because following my surgery, I was unsure of when I’d be coming back,” Alvarez said in a statement. 

“Returning to the ring and coming back to fight in Jalisco, where I’m from, makes me especially happy. And in John Ryder, I’m facing a very competitive fighter.”

Alvarez is scheduled to compete in his home country for the first time since November 2011, when he retained his WBC light middleweight title with a fifth-round technical knockout victory over Kermit Citron. This fight is scheduled to take place as part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations that will take place this coming weekend.

As one of the biggest stars in MMA, Alvarez has gone on to fight a who’s who of all-time greats. Alvarez most recently gained a second victory against Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin, which put him back on track after he suffered a loss by unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol after an unsuccessful attempt to move up to light heavyweight in order to capture another belt.

Ryder, a British boxer of 34 years of age and a mandated WBO challenger, fights Alvarez in May, entering enemy territory in an attempt to pull off a massive upset. Ryder has a record of 32-5 overall, and he is presently riding a winning streak of four fights that includes a victory over Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker.