Following months away from the ring, Canelo Alvarez is back! The Mexican sensation returns to the ring and Mexico, fighting in his home country for the first time in a decade on May 6.
Canelo defends his status as undisputed super middleweight champion against John Ryder. The fight will be inside Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. It airs on DAZN PPV in the U.S.
It took eleven months for Canelo to become undisputed champion, beating Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant. Following the Plant fight, Canelo attempted to win more gold, losing to WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. While a rematch with Bivol is on his mind, Canelo’s focused on the task at hand.
“I think it’s the perfect time,” Canelo stated. “A long time ago, I wanted to fight in Guadalajara, but I think this is the perfect moment, the perfect fight to bring to Guadalajara… He [Ryder] has everything to win, nothing to lose, right? He’s always there, fighting with the good fighters trying to get that opportunity, and now he got it. It’s going to be a danger for me, but I feel good.”
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder, live on DAZN PPV
Ryder has won interim gold twice. He beat Bilal Akkawy in May 2019 for the interim WBA super middleweight title and recently beat Zach Parker for the interim WBO super middleweight title. It will be his second attempt at super middleweight gold, as he lost to Callum Smith in 2019 for the WBA and The Ring belts.
Per Caesars, Canelo Alvarez is the -2000 favorite, while John Ryder is the +1000 underdog. Ryder is ready to defy the literal and figurative odds stacked against him.
“I know it’s going to be hostile; I am prepared for it,” said Ryder. “I think to go and fight a champion, you should go to their backyard to take their titles, and that’s what I am doing. Most fighters have gone to Vegas or Texas to fight him, but I’m in Guadalajara in the Lion’s Den… I have to embrace the moment. After 12 rounds, my hand will be raised, and the new, from Islington, London, UK, undisputed World Super-Middleweight champion, John Ryder. It’s a dream opportunity, and I don’t plan to waste it.”
The Sporting News will provide results and highlights from Canelo vs. Ryder. Stay tuned!
MORE: Canelo or Julio César Chavez: Who is the GOAT Mexican boxer?
Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder live results, updates
Round One:
SN Unofficial Scorecard:
11:15 p.m. ET: John Ryder heads to the ring with little fanfare while Canelo has an entire production complete with a video package, extras waving flags, a massive Mariachi band and a crown on top of his red head. Incredible.
10:46 p.m. ET: The main event is up next. Canelo vs. Ryder! And we’re going with round-by-round updates from here on out.
Julio Cesar Martinez overcomes slow start to score 11th round TKO over Ronal Batista
10:37 p.m. ET: Julio Cesar Martinez survived some rough rounds and cranked up the pressure down the stretch to get the 11th round stoppage. Batista’s punch resistance eroded over the final three rounds as Martinez began landing some heavy shots. In the 11th round, Martinez sensed that Batista had nothing left and rolled in with a salvo of power shots to get the finish.
Julio Cesar Martinez STOPS Ronal Rolando Batista with a big flurry of punches. 👊💥#CaneloRyder is LIVE on DAZN PPV in the US and Canada and available as part of your regular subscription in selected territories. pic.twitter.com/xa5x1mD0Ls
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 7, 2023
10:28 p.m. ET: In a bizarre turn of events, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman declared that Batista did score a knockdown of Batista. I don’t think that’s ever happened before. The president of the WBC isn’t supposed to have jurisdiction on scoring but it just happened. Big swing and Batista is picking up momentum with a big eighth round. We might have a massive upset on our hands.
10:20 p.m. ET: This has become a strange fight. Martinez was one of the biggest betting favorites but is turning in a relatively pedestrian performance. Batista is fighting much better than expected but Martinez just doesn’t seem right tonight. Batista has also been deducted a point for punching after the bell at the end of round five. Something has to change because Martinez hasn’t looked great at all.
10:06 p.m. ET: After three rounds, Martinez is up but it’s not the total domination that many anticipated. Batista is making a good account for himself but it feels like Martinez isn’t really into the fight just yet.
9:48 p.m. ET: Up next is the co-main event as WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez defends his title against Ronal Batista. Nobody expects this to be competitive but we shall see if Batista can pull off a massive upset.
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela takes decision over Steve Spark in slugfest
9:40 p.m. ET: These scorecards tonight have been something else. The knockdown in the sixth round ended up being the difference as Gollaz earned a split decision with scores of 96-93 and 95-94 in his favor while one judge had it for Spark 95-94. It certainly felt like Spark had the upper hand outside of the knockdown but the judges watched a different fight.
9:19 p.m. ET: And just like that the tide has turned as Gollaz landed some heavy leather that ended with a body shot that put Sparks down. Gollaz is now smelling blood and going for the finish in the sixth round. Huge round for Gollaz in the sixth and we certainly have a fight.
9:15 p.m. ET: This is turning into a slugfest as Spark and Gollaz continue to slug it out heading into the sixth round. But Spark is getting the better of the exchanges as Gollaz continues to absorb punishment and is the last to land. This certainly doesn’t feel like it’ll go the distance.
9:07 p.m. ET: Through three rounds, Gollaz and Spark hasn’t been a technical masterpiece but it has been entertaining. Spark appears to be slightly ahead but this may end up being a war of attrition because there isn’t much defense preventing either fighter from getting their shots off.
8:40 p.m. ET: Up next is Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs. Steve Spark in super lightweight action.
Nathan Rodriguez stays undefeated with majority decision over Alexander Mejia
8:38 p.m. ET: It wasn’t terribly impressive but Nathan Rodriguez got the job done with a majority decision over Alexander Mejia. Just a blue-collar performance from Rodriguez. Nothing flashy but Rodriguez remains undefeated in his young career. The scorecards were pretty questionable because one judge had it 95-95 and the other two judges had Rodriguez winning 96-94 and 96-93. No idea what they were watching but the right man won.
8:14 p.m. ET: We’re halfway through Rodriguez vs. Mejia and Rodriguez appears to be comfortably ahead. Mejia may have had his best round yet. He’s tough but being outclassed on the outside.
7:52 p.m. ET: Up next is Alexander Mejia vs. the undefeated 18-year-old prospect Nathan Rodriguez in featherweight action.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk stops Ricards Bolotniks in 7th round
7:40 p.m. ET: Although Gvozdyk got off to a relatively slow start, the Ukrainian finished off Bolotniks in the seventh round. Gvozdyk didn’t look remotely close to the fighter who beat Adonis Stevenson through six rounds. But then, all of a sudden, a straight right hand rocked Bolotniks badly. It certainly woke up Gvozdyk who immediately sought the kill and got the job done with a barrage of bludgeoning punches that sank his opponent. Not quite sure what to make of this but perhaps “The Nail” will become a force to reckon with again at light heavyweight?
Oleksandr Gvozdyk gets the KO win over Ricards Bolotniks… what a start. 💥#CaneloRyder is LIVE on DAZN PPV in the US and Canada and available as part of your regular subscription in selected territories. pic.twitter.com/wLMxMR7aDn
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 6, 2023
7:15 p.m. ET: We’re getting things started with Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Ricards Bolotniks in a light heavyweight bout. Gvozdyk was rolling to start his boxing career with 17 straight wins before he ran into the buzzsaw known as Artur Beterbiev. He’s fully expected to take Bolotniks out but we’ll see how this shakes out.
When is Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder?
- Date: Saturday, May 6
- Start time: 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT | 12 a.m. BST | 9 a.m. AEST
- Main event: 11 p.m. ET | 8 p.m. PT | 4 a.m. BST | 1 p.m. AEST (approx.)
Canelo vs. Ryder takes place on May 6. The main card starts at 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT | 12 a.m. BST | 9 a.m. AEST. The main event fighters should make their way to the ring around 11 p.m. ET | 8 p.m. PT | 4 a.m. BST | 1 p.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States | Sat. May 6 | DAZN PPV, PPV.com |
| Canada | Sat. May 6 | DAZN PPV |
| United Kingdom | Sun. May 7 | DAZN |
| Australia | Sun. May 7 | DAZN |
Canelo vs. Ryder, plus undercard action, will be broadcast via DAZN worldwide, and DAZN PPV in the U.S. and Canada.
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder, live on DAZN PPV
Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder PPV price: How much does the card cost?
- The PPV price for Canelo vs. Ryder is $54.99
- DAZN monthly subscription: $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month in U.S./ $24.99 per month in Canada/ £9.99 in the U.K. on a 12-month contract, or £19.99 month-to-month/ 13.99 AUD in Australia
- DAZN annual subscription: $224.99 in U.S., $199.99 in Canada, £99.99 in the U.K.
Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder results
- Canelo Alvarez (c) vs. John Ryder for the undisputed super middleweight title
- Julio Cesar Martinez def. Ronal Batista via 11th round TKO for the WBC flyweight title (1:00)
- Nathan Rodriguez def. Alexander Mejia via majority decision (96-93, 96-94 & 95-95)
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk def. Ricards Bolotniks via 7th round TKO (1:53)
- Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela def. Steve Spark via split decision (96-93, 95-94 & 94-95)