Canelo Alvarez is arguably the biggest star in boxing, and he's earned such status through dominant performances in the ring during his near 18-year career.
The undisputed world super-middleweight champion faces his next challenger, John Ryder, on May 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico, live worldwide on DAZN and on DAZN PPV in Canada and the U.S., and he is once again expected to prevail. But Saturday's bout is also Canelo's first match since undergoing surgery in the fall of 2022, after the Mexican says he suffered a wrist injury against Caleb Plant in Nov. 2021.
Canelo fought two more matches with the injury before going under the knife to repair the torn cartilage and he says he's now back to 100 percent, but all doubts will only be erased once fans see the 32-year-old back to his dominant self in the ring. Even if he's physically fully healed, there may be no better time to face Canelo than right now, which is something that retired former WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves says could be used by Ryder to boost his own mentality heading into the biggest fight of his career.
“There will be confidence in the Ryder camp and I’m sure he’s got the right mindset. He knows this is his big chance and he’ll be given it his absolute all. He’s wired that way," Groves said of Ryder to LegalSportsBooks.
"Hopefully what he’s got is enough to push Alvarez but we’ve got to be honest, on paper Alvarez is a level above. He’s performed better, boxed at a higher level and been in there with bigger names and champions.
"But it’s boxing and it’s one vs. one, every man on their day, and John Ryder will leave nothing to chance. I think it’s going to be a great fight.
"I predict it to be a better fight than any of Alvarez’s previous fights against British opponents. That includes Billie Joe Saunders and Callum Smith, which was pretty one-sided but I think John’s had a better run-up and better camp than Smith would’ve had."
While Groves isn't ready to put his fellow Brit on equal footing with Canelo, he noted the characteristics that Ryder will use to try to upset the hometown fighter.
“John Ryder is not someone to overlook or underestimate and I think Canelo’s team will know that," Groves said. "He’s a good athlete, he’s very strong and he converts that strength into very decent punch power and he’s neat and tidy.
"His footwork is good and he can close the distance down very quickly. With the power in his legs he can spring into range very rapidly and let his hands go.
"If Ryder is to win this fight he’s going to need a high output and a big volume of punches. He’s going to have to try and dominate the rounds."