CANELO VS RYDER… FINALLY
Canelo Alvarez is ready to return to Mexico for a homecoming party attended by over 50,000 fans. But whilst they bay for blood, the most likely, yet unlikely, party pooper is ready to deliver silence.
It was 12 years ago that the then-WBC super-welterweight champion last fought in his home country. In the decade since, he has lit up Las Vegas, shut down San Antonio and taken over Texas.
However, his adoring home crowd have had to watch his rise to superstardom from a distance. Now, the baby-faced 21-year-old that had the world at his feet returns with the world in his palm.
That baby-faced 21-year-old, however, did have some experience in dealing with Brits. Both Matthew Hatton and Ryan Rhodes had the misfortune of crossing Saul in his younger days. Now, the pair are part of a six-man British victim list that include the likes of Amir Khan and Billy Joe Saunders.
Of course, the easy play here would be to add number seven in writing and sit patiently. But there is no sport less preconceived than boxing, and there is no man more opposed to the script than John Ryder.
I won’t play foolish. This is a monstrous task that if pulled off, sits unequivocally as the best win ever by a British fighter on foreign soil.
Lloyd Honeyghan’s win over Donald Curry had the shock factor, Naseem Hamed’s battle with Kevin Kelley had the excitement, and Tyson Fury’s win over Wladimir Klitschko played the perfect script.
But this, this would be akin to snatching King Charles’ crown during Saturday’s coronation and placing it on your own head.
But do not be fooled. John Ryder is more than just a jackpot winner. Since the heartbreak of defeat at the hands of Callum Smith in 2019, he has tucked himself away, tolerating having to watch his rivals land the opportunity he was so cruelly denied.
But now he has it all in front of him.
WAR GORILLA.
There is also action from Birmingham as Joshua Buatsi makes his Sky return and Boxxer debut against unbeaten Pawel Stepien. The threatening Pole was lined up to fight Callum Smith just two months ago on a big card in Liverpool.
But an injury to Mundo, or rather the fear of one leading into a clash with Artur Beterbiev, saw the fight pulled at late notice. Now, Stepien finds himself faced with a fighter who hasn’t laced up a competitive glove for over a year.
For Buatsi, that year has coincided with the emergence of Dan Azeez on the title scene, and the re-emergence of Anthony Yarde at world level. Despite never cutting a bitter figure, it must have been irritating to see two rivals generate the excitement you are yearning for.
A sour war of words with ex-promoter Eddie Hearn will have done little to shift the frustrations, after Hearn claimed Buatsi had ducked a world title shot vs Dmitry Bivol.
It has all been a bit of a mess, but it is a mess boxing fans will forget if they are to see Buatsi deliver on Saturday night.
Enjoy your weekend boxing fans.
Oscar Bevis