Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez faces off John Ryder in the main event at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico on Saturday, May 6. The undisputed super middleweight champion makes the second defense of his title against WBO mandatory challenger live stream on DAZN.
Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs), the 32-year-old Guadalajara, Mexico native, fights in front of his hometown crowd for the first time in more than 11 years. Ahead of his bout on Cinco de Mayo weekend against Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) – the 34-year-old contender from Islington, London – the Mexican star says he is “excited” and promises “something special”.
‘It’ll be a little bit difficult in the first rounds, but I have the experience and I need to handle it’
“It’s going to be something special after 12 years,” said Canelo. “I started my career here in Guadalajara in the little arenas. And now we are in the biggest stadium and the biggest response from the people. It’s going to be one of the best nights of my career for sure. I am really excited for this fight.
“I was always thinking about fighting again in Guadalajara of course. You can expect something special, and the result is even better. I’m glad and grateful that the people respond like this. I’m enjoying this moment a lot. I enjoy this because it is hard to put on this kind of fights and have people respond like this. It’s an honor for me and I’m proud of it. I’m going to bring everything tomorrow night.
“It wasn’t about money. There were a lot of things that made it hard to put the fight here. Everything, TV, moving, things had to change here in Guadalajara. It’s hard to do it but you know I’m happy I made this and I’m happy to bring this fight to Guadalajara.
“For a long time, I didn’t train here in Guadalajara so me training here for the whole month is different. I feel different. The vibes are different. My family is here. My grandma is here. So, it’s been different, but I enjoy everything. Eddy Reynoso said to me, ‘You need to enjoy this moment because you deserve it. Enjoy what you do because this is such a big thing’. I am just enjoying and thanking all my people and the response is just amazing, so I enjoy it a lot.
“You know it is going to be a good fight when a fighter is coming forward. John is a good fighter. He’s southpaw and he throws punches from everywhere. It’ll be a little bit difficult in the first rounds, but I have the experience and I need to handle it.”
In the co-main event, Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez (19-2, 14 KOs) defends his WBC flyweight title against Ronal Batista (15-2, 9 KOs) of Panama. Also on the card, Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (26-3-1, 16 KOs) of Mexico and Steve Spark (16-2, 14 KOs) of Australia battle it out for the WBA Intercontinental super lightweight belt.
In Australia, Canelo vs Ryder airs live on DAZN and Kayo on Sunday, May 7.
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