Sports Journalist at FST, Gareth qualified as a journalist after graduating from university and spent over a decade as a freelance broadcast journalist, commentator and tipster before joining FST. Now living in Manchester, he is a long suffering Bolton Wanderers fan who also enjoys boxing, the NBA, tennis and rugby league.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez returns to the ring on Saturday night as he defends his super-middleweight titles against John Ryder.
Ryder is bidding to become England’s first undisputed male champion in the four-belt era, but his task is a daunting one.
I’ve got the main event covered, as well as a 14/1 treble with selections from the undercard
Where to watch Canelo vs Ryder
This fight is set to take place at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday, May 6.
The main card is set to get underway at 12am UK time and the ringwalks for the main event will take place at around 4am.
This isn’t a PPV event for UK fans but a subscription to streaming service DAZN is required, at a cost of £9.99 per-month.
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Who is on the Canelo vs Ryder undercard?
- Canelo Alvarez vs John Ryder
- Julio Cesar Martinez vs Ronal Batista
- Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs Steve Spark
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Ricards Bolotniks
- Nathan Devon Rodriguez vs Alexander Mejia
- Bek Nurmaganbet vs Argenis Espana
- Lawrence King vs Elio German Rafael
- Abilkhan Amankul vs Jesus Moroyoqui Palomares
- Johansen Alvarez Suarez vs Johan Rodriguez Arreguin
- Carlos Rojo Vazquez vs Fabian Trejo Rivera
- Jesus Larios vs Alejandro Curiel
Canelo vs Ryder prediction and fight preview
Ryder is a huge underdog for this fight but there can be no denying he deserves his shot. The 34-year-old has won his last four fights, including a victory over Daniel Jacobs, since a harsh unanimous decision loss to Callum Smith in 2019.
It would be a huge shock if Ryder were to come out on top and in truth he looks to be a perfect opponent for the champion.
The one question hanging over Canelo is the fact he is fighting for the first time since hand surgery, which he underwent after completing a trilogy with Gennady Golovkin, but that is unlikely to an issue.
Canelo is fighting in his homeland of Mexico for the first time since 2011 and will be looking to put on a show in front of a big crowd on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Ryder has good movement and is a durable fighter, having only been stopped once in a 37-fight career, but Canelo is a level above and it is hard to see how the Briton can really cause him any problems.
The challenger doesn’t have the kind of power that can really hurt the Mexican superstar, and the fighters that have troubled Canelo in the past – Dmitrii Bivol, GGG, Erislandy Lara and, of course, Floyd Mayweather – have all had exceptional jabs. That isn’t really one of Ryder’s main weapons, so he needs to use his movement and ability to get inside to try and find a route to victory and that looks far too big of an ask against a skillful and powerful opponent.
As mentioned earlier, Ryder is durable and I’m expecting him to enjoy a bit of success in the early rounds but Canelo can work him out and finish this fight early, potentially in the middle rounds – so backing Canelo to win in rounds 5-8 looks a reasonable option.
Saturday’s Boxing Treble Tip
Canelo to win in rounds 5-8
vs John Ryder
Steve Spark to win
vs Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela
Australia’s Steve Spark can pull off a minor upset by beating home hopeful Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela. Spark comes into this contest on the back of an impressive win over Montana Love, while Valenzuela has a loss to the same opponent on his own record.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification
vs Ricards Bolotniks
Oleksandr Gvozdyk has 18 wins and one defeat on his record and that loss was against a top quality opponent in Artur Beterbiev. The Ukrainian has 14 victories inside the distance, and should have far too much for Ricards Bolotniks – who has been stopped four times in a 25-fight career.
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