Canelo Álvarez rolls to unanimous win over John Ryder, but falls short of knockout

Canelo Álvarez scored a unanimous decision win against John Ryder in his homecoming bout in Mexico on Saturday night to retain his undisputed super middleweight title.

Álvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) was in control for most of the entire fight, scoring a fifth-round knockdown while busting the nose of the rough and rugged Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) to land scores of 120-107, 118-109, and 118-109 from the judges.

The fight took place in front of 60,257 fans in Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico. The Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown marked the first time since 2011 that Álvarez was fighting in his home country.

“It’s a historic moment for me. I’m blessed to be here with my people who have supported me from the beginning. I’m glad to be here. I’m thankful to my people,” Álvarez said in his post-fight interview.

“He’s a very strong fighter. When they are going for everything, they come more difficult than usual. But I know that. I’m in this position for a long time.

“I think I had him [badly hurt in the fifth round]. I’m happy with the fight. I’m happy the people had a great fight.”

Álvarez outlanded Ryder 179 to 80 while throwing just two more shots. He was also efficient, landing 46% of his power punches and 39% of his total punches.

The resilient Ryder appeared to gain more strength as the fight unfolded. He had several positive moments led by a left uppercut and right hook.

Álvarez was fighting for the first time following left-wrist surgery last fall. He said the hand felt very good after testing it out slowly for the first couple of rounds.

Álvarez is now looking to exact revenge following his most recent loss.

“I’m ready for everything,” he said. “Everybody knows. We want the rematch with [light heavyweight Dmitry] Bivol. Same rules, and same terms [at 175 pounds]. Same everything. If the fight with Bivol doesn’t happen, then we’ll see. I’m able to fight everybody.”

Canelo Álvarez and John Ryder sweat and trade punches during their match near Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday.

(ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Round 12: John Ryder lands a left uppercut and right hook again — enough to keep Canelo Álvarez off of him. Álvarez doesn’t go for the knockout to close out the show. Ryder certainly should be able to get two or three rounds in his favor from the judges. A moral victory to make it 12 full rounds, as Álvarez faded late. But Álvarez should score a comfortable unanimous decision win. The official scores from the judges are up next.

Round 11: Canelo Álvarez has slowed down over the last few rounds. At the age of 32 and following left wrist surgery, maybe he’s just not the world-beater he used to be. Álvarez winds up but his shots get blocked. John Ryder seems to be remarkably rebounding, however, enjoying successful spurts in between the loud cheers from the pro-Álvarez crowd.

Round 10: John Ryder lands a right to the body and a right to the head. Canelo Álvarez closes the round with a picture-perfect right hand. Not many expected Ryder to make it this far, but here he is about to fight in the championship rounds. He’ll need a stunning knockout to win the fight, however. Can Álvarez land a stoppage win many expected? He has six minutes left.

Round 9: Canelo Álvarez rocks John Ryder with a crushing counter right hand that wobbles him. Ryder momentarily stumbles and retreats on the ropes but remains on his feet. For a moment, the referee appears to step in for a closer look. After getting his bearings back, Ryder rocks Álvarez with a left and immediately gets his confidence back and waves Álvarez in. Ryder’s determination is rock solid.

Round 8: In the closing seconds of the round, John Ryder connects with a flush four-punch combination. Canelo Álvarez immediately responds with a right hand to the arm of Ryder that drops him, but referee Michael Griffin rules it a slip. Álvarez walks back to his corner with his face increasingly looking reddened and somewhat swollen.

Round 7: A rather calm round unfolds. Canelo Álvarez cuts off the ring and corners John Ryder but doesn’t unload as he has so far this match. Ryder lands a sneaky right hook, but Álvarez is still dominating the fight. Perhaps Álvarez is gathering a second win to finish the show in style?

Round 6: A Canelo Álvarez right hand to the side of John Ryder’s temple causes the Brit to stumble. Moments later, Ryder lands a sneaky left hook and left uppercut but his body language looks like that of a defeated fighter. Ryder has been landing the uppercut well due to his compact stance. He drops his hands to his sides and takes a deep breath as he regroups toward the end of the round. The second half of the fight awaits.

Round 5: Blood keeps pouring from John Ryder’s nose. He may be having trouble breathing. Before the round started, two cotton sticks were jammed up his nostrils.

Canelo Álvarez lands a vicious left-right combination that drops Ryder midway through the round. After a long look at his corner, Ryder gets up at the count of eight. Ryder rebounds and immediately starts swinging back. Álvarez patiently tees off one shot at a time and calmly applies consistent pressure. Ryder survives the round but he looks like a mess.

Round 4: John Ryder continues to make the fight a rough and tumble affair as he tries to get inside. Canelo Álvarez is unbothered and continues to chase him down, scoring with his shots, one at a time. It doesn’t appear Álvarez respects Ryder’s power. It’s clearly evident Ryder isn’t the second coming of Dmitry Bivol.

Round 3: Canelo Álvarez immediately drew blood by blasting John Ryder’s nose in the opening seconds of the round. Ryder’s face was covered in crimson as an excited Álvarez picked up the pace, firing off a straight right hand. Seemingly desperate, Ryder tried to get inside and paid the price by eating a right hook that was deflected off his glove yet still knocked him off balance. But Ryder delivered a left uppercut, his best punch of the fight.

Round 2: Canelo Álvarez is historically a slow starter as he downloads data. In the pre-fight buildup, he alluded that the first few rounds would be difficult against John Ryder, who is a southpaw. After missing with a looping left, Álvarez connected with a right cross. Ryder does not appear to be offense-oriented or willing to trade so far. Both fighters are still getting warmed up.

Round 1: On the same day King Charles III was coronated, Canelo Álvarez made his way to the ring wearing a crown to indicate he is still the king of boxing. He was met with an electro-mariachi hybrid musical performance as fireworks were ignited in the open-air stadium on a 75-degree night in Zapopan, Mexico.

He received a thunderous ovation from the nearly 55,000 fans in his homecoming bout — his first in Mexico in 12 years. One of the fans is Álvarez’s 94-year-old grandmother, who is watching her grandson fight for the first time.

A video montage featuring Álvarez’s mother and his vicious knockouts plays. The pomp and circumstance come to an end once the first bell rings 15 minutes after Álvarez makes his ring walk … and then a feeling-out round ensues without much action. Álvarez’s best shot comes by blasting John Ryder’s body.

Canelo Álvarez delivered one of his most elaborate ring entrances in recent memory, firing up the crowd at Estadio Akron near Guadalajara, Mexico.

Watch Canelo Álvarez and John Ryder warm up in their respective locker rooms.

Julio Cesar Martinez looked sluggish at times in his showcase slugfest but turned it on in the second half of the fight to score an 11th-round technical knockout victory against Ronal Batista.

The Mexico City native Martinez defended his WBC flyweight title while starring as the co-main event for stablemate Canelo Álvarez.

Referee Celestino Ruiz called a stop to the action at the one-minute mark of the penultimate round as Martinez (20-2, 15 KOs) was blasting Batista (15-3, 9 KOs) on the ropes with a series of unanswered shots.

Batista did not get dropped, but the damage he was absorbing was enough to stop the action.

Martinez outlanded Batista 154 to 78 in the fight. Martinez landed 69 power punches to Bastista’s 27 after the sixth round.

The first six rounds of the fight were mostly even and Batista even made Martinez look mediocre at times.

But in round seven, Martinez showed his championship pedigree and dropped Batista with a looping left hook that was originally ruled a slip. Ruiz officially ruled it a knockdown after a replay before the beginning of the eighth round.

Batista started fading when he absorbed more one-way from Martinez, who was successfully shifting back and forth from an orthodox and southpaw stance.

Ruiz deducted a point from Batista for hitting after the bell at the end of round four.

Super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez speaks to the media before a news conference in San Diego on March 16.

(Greg Beacham / Associated Press)

Shortly after Gervonta “Tank” Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia, Davis declared that he was the new face of boxing.

The data seems to support and make an argument for his proclamation. The event generated about 1.2 million pay-per-view buys and sold 20,842 tickets for a $22.8 million gate.

Ticket sales for the fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ranked fifth all-time in Nevada boxing history.

Floyd Mayweathers’ fights against Manny Pacquiao ($72.2 million) and Conor McGregor ($55.4 million) rank first and second, while Álvarez’s first fight against Gennadiy Golovkin in 2017 ($27 million) and their rematch in 2018 ($24.4 million) rank third and fourth.

At 1.1 million PPV purchases, the Álvarez’s-Golovkin rematch was also the last boxing PPV event that generated over a million buys.

The undisputed super middleweight champion Álvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) will be returning to PPV on Saturday when he faces John Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) in a homecoming fight in Mexico.

In the near two-week span of Davis beating Garcia, much ink has been spilled that Davis is the face of boxing.

Álvarez — the world’s fifth highest-paid athlete — says not quite

“I’m not retired yet, my friend. They can say whatever they want, but, you know, it’s not that easy. One fight doesn’t put you in that position. You need to do a lot of things,” said Álvarez.

“There are a lot of good fighters coming up. One of them is Gervonta for sure. But he needs to do more things, not just in one fight. But I like Gervonta. I like Gervonta Davis a lot. You know, but he needs to do more things to be the face of boxing, not just one fight. And one fight with Ryan Garcia — I respect Ryan Garcia. But what he brings [to be] the face of boxing.

“I feel the best. I feel No. 1. Nobody out there has been doing it like me, up and down in weight, fighting with the best fighters, becoming undisputed champion in 11 months. I’m the best. I’m the best fighter out there. No other fighter did what I did and have been doing.

“I just need to fight and keep doing what I have been doing my whole career. I always fight with the best out there.”

Canelo Álvarez held a virtual roundtable discussion on May 4 with a select group of media. Here’s what the undisputed super middleweight champion had to say ahead of his fight against John Ryder:

On fighting in front of his hometown crowd:

“It’s going to be something special. I started my career in Guadalajara in little arenas and now I am in the biggest stadium. It’s going to be one of the best nights of my career for sure. I’m really excited for this fight. ... I always had been thinking about fighting again in Guadalajara, of course. You expect something, but then the results are even better. I’m glad and grateful with the way people have responded. I am just enjoying this moment a lot. It’s hard to put on a fight like this and have people respond. It’s an honor for me. I am proud of it. I am going to bring everything that night ... It’s not about money. A lot of things made it hard to bring the fight here, the TV. A lot of things needed to move. I’m happy I brought the fight here.”

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On the most memorable experience around his return to Mexico:

“I’ve been enjoying everything. I haven’t trained in Guadalajara for a long time. Training here for an entire month has been different. I feel different. My family is here. I’m glad to do this in my prime. My people deserve this because they supported me from the beginning.”

On what he’s expecting from John Ryder:

“I love it. It’s going to be a great fight with Ryder coming forward, and me too. He is a good fighter and southpaw who throws punches from everywhere. So it’s going to be a little difficult the first few rounds, then I have the experience to handle it … They are more dangerous when they have nothing to lose. They want to bring everything to win everything. But I’ve been in this position a long time, so I know what to do.”

On fighting Dmitry Bivol again in a rematch at 175 pounds:

“I want the same terms, the same everything from my last fight. But right now, I am 100% focused on John Ryder. You know, it’s boxing. You never know. The goal is to have the rematch with Bivol with the same terms ... I think I am better than him. That’s it. If you see the first five-six rounds, I am dominating the fight. Then I got tired because I didn’t train 100%.”

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, of Mexico, poses on a scale during his weigh-in ceremony in Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday.

(Refugio Ruiz / Associated Press)

On dealing with a left wrist injury from mid-2021 onward and undergoing surgery last fall:

“As a fighter, I said ‘I can do one more fight. I can do one more fight.’ In the Bivol fight training camp, I got platelets to have the recovery. I didn’t train 100%, sparring and everything. At the end of the day, it is what it is. But I am now 100%. I am able to train 100%. That motivated me a lot ... The injury bothered me a lot in fights. Even in the locker room when putting the gloves on. It’s really hard to handle this pain. My pain tolerance is very high, but at some point you can’t anymore.”

On training at full strength:

“I’m motivated and confident that I can train at 100%. That’s everything for a fighter when you’re able to do everything.”

On his 2024 goals:

“You know, I fight with everybody and the best out there. When [Gennadiy] Golovkin first appeared in the boxing community, it was the same thing as right now with [David] Benavidez. And I did [fight Golovkin]. But right now my short-term goal is the rematch with Bivol, and then we’ll see.”

Guadalajara-born and based Gabriel Gollaz was served some home cooking, as he picked up a questionable split-decision victory against Steve Spark.

Gollaz scored a knockdown of Spark but did not have more momentum-shifting sequences throughout the 10-round super flyweight fight that was mostly dominated by Spark.

Judges awarded Gollaz with scores of 96-93 and 95-94, while another had 95-94 for Spark.

Spark outlanded Gollaz 190 to 127 and was the busier fighter by throwing 220 more punches, but the judges saw a different story. Spark also landed 90 more power punches than Gollaz.

The Australian Spark (16-3, 14 KOs) was assaulting Gollaz (27-3-1, 16 KOs) until the sixth round when a gargantuan change in momentum arrived as Gollaz dropped Spark with a body shot combination.

Gollaz came on strong but appeared fatigued from the damage he had absorbed in the prior rounds, wailing away as best as he could.

The 26-year-old Spark stopped the downward trend in the seventh with a counter-rally that momentarily had Gollaz, 28, reeling. A game Gollaz could not find duplicate the knockdown during the rest of the bout.

The Queensland-born Spark was coming off a wild upset win via disqualification against then-undefeated Cleveland-based prospect Montana Love in November.

Gollaz’s previous loss was against Love last year.

Eighteen-year-old Pico Rivera native Nathan Rodriguez narrowly outlasted rough and rugged Nicaraguan contender Alexander Mejia.

Rodriguez picked and popped his punches against the pugilist nicknamed “Popeye” to land a majority decision, 10-round win.

Judges awarded Rodriguez with scores of 96-93 and 96-94, while a third had it 95-95.

The match was mostly even throughout and both fighters found success soundly boxing in the middle of the ring. Although Mejias was the busier fighter by throwing a total of 502 punches — 135 more than Rodriguez — Rodriguez outlanded Mejias 147 to 77, connecting on 48 more jabs and 20 more body punches.

Rodriguez (11-0, 7 KOs) appeared to be in firm control of the fight and was never visibly hurt.

Mejia (19-6, 8 KOs) was 13 years older than Rodriguez, who came into the fight with just 31 rounds under his belt. The match marked the first time the featherweight prospect Rodriguez was scheduled to fight 10 rounds.

Rodriguez certainly picked up experience against Mejia, whose previous four losses were also against undefeated opponents.

Rodriguez was cornered by Canelo Álvarez’s coach Eddy Reynoso.

“El Morenito” Rodriguez picked up boxing at the age of 12 and turned professional at 16 in 2021 after just 10 amateur fights.

Rodriguez is the son of Marvin Rodriguez, a boxing promoter who stages shows across Los Angeles. After fighting in Costa Rica and Mexico, the upstart Rodriguez made his United States debut last year and headlined a show in his hometown of Pico Rivera.

John Ryder, of Britain, will be a masive underdog when he faces off with Mexican Saul “Canelo” Álvarez at Akron Stadium Saturday night.

(Refugio Ruiz / Associated Press)

Canelo Álvarez owns the WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF, and Ring Magazine titles and is the undisputed king of the 168-pound division.

His opponent Saturday night, John Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs), is the WBO super middleweight mandatory challenger.

Ryder earned the opportunity by stopping then-undefeated Zach Parker in four rounds in November after Parker was forced to end the fight early due to a broken right hand.

The 32-year-old Brit had a remarkable year in 2022, also sneaking past former Álvarez foe Daniel Jacobs via split decision last February.

Ryder has not fared well against other previous Álvarez opponents.

Ryder lost to Callum Smith in 2019 via unanimous decision. Ryder lost to Rocky Fielding in 2017 via split decision. Ryder lost to Billy Joe Saunders in 2013 via unanimous decision.

In comparison, Álvarez broke Saunders’ eye and forced him to quit after eight rounds in 2021 to win the WBO title, beat Smith in 2020 via unanimous decision to win the WBA title and knocked down Fielding four times in three rounds to score a knockout in 2018 during his 168-pound debut.

Ryder’s other two losses have come against unheralded opposition in 2015 and 2016.

John Ryder is carried around the ring and raises his arms in celebration despite losing to Callum Smith during a WBA super middleweight boxing title on Nov. 23, 2019, in Liverpool, England.

(Richard Sellers / Associated Press)

Here’s what Ryder had to say heading into the fight:

“I know it’s going to be hostile; I am prepared for it. 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 think that the pressure is on him. It’s been a long time since he boxed here and who expects anything of me? No one. People think I am here for the paycheck, I am not, I am here to show that dreams can come true. I’ve worked hard to get here, and I deserve to be here.

“To prepare for him, you have to take him off his pedestal initially as he is who he is, but you won’t be able to get Canelo in to spar to prepare for Canelo. You work with what you can get which we have.

“I have always believed that I was destined for bigger things. My career has always been a work in progress.

“I think it is a good time to fight him, he has a lot of miles on the clock. Last year he had the Bivol defeat, I found it strange that he went back to light heavyweight, and then he went back to 168 and while I don’t think it was a bad performance, I think people were expecting him to stop him and put the final nail in the coffin of the trilogy [against Gennadiy Golovkin] and he didn’t, although he did win comfortably. Obviously, he’s had the surgery on his hand and maybe there’s question marks on wear and tear, but I want the best version of him because I will give the best version of me.

“I have to embrace the moment. After 12 rounds, my hand will be raised … It’s a dream opportunity and I don’t plan to waste it.”

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez is ranked No. 5 on Forbes’ highest-paid athlete list.

(Refugio Ruiz / Associated Press)

Forbes released its annual report of the world’s highest paid athletes earlier this week and with a total estimated earning of $110 million, Canelo Álvarez ranked fifth on the list.

The study was based on a period from May 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023 and covers Álvarez’s previous two fight purses ($100 million) earned in bouts against Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin.

The other $10 million was accumulated through endorsements with Hennessy and Michelob Ultra as well as his investments across gas stations, sports drinks, canned cocktails, a fitness app and more.

The Forbes top 10 list includes the following athletes:

No. 1: Cristiano Ronaldo: $136 million

No. 2: Lionel Messi: $130 million

No. 3: Kylian Mbappe: $120 million

No. 4: LeBron James: $119.5 million

No. 5: Canelo Alvarez: $110 million

No. 6: Dustin Johnson $107 million

No. 7: Phil Mickelson: $106 million

No. 8: Stephen Curry: $100.4 million

No. 9: Roger Federer: $95.1 million

No. 10: Kevin Durant: $89.1 million

Former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk continued his comeback campaign with another victory Saturday night, scoring a dominant stoppage win against gatekeeper Ricards Bolotniks.

After a slow start, Gvozdyk (19-1, 15 KOs) picked up the pace in the sixth round, opening a massive gash on Bolotniks’ (19-7-1, 8 KOs) left eyebrow.

Blood started splattering immediately and as Bolotniks’ face was covered in crimson, the Ukrainian nicknamed “The Nail” hammered the Latvian with unanswered shots against the ropes, forcing his battered foe to take a knee. As referee Celestino Ruiz started counting, he noticed the badly-beaten Bolotniks was reeling and he waved off the action at the 1:53 mark of the round.

Gvozdyk outlanded Bolotniks 74 to 51 during the fight.

The bout opened the pay-per-view portion of the show.

The Ukrainian Gvozdyk retired shortly after his first career loss in October 2019 to current unified 175-pound champion Artur Betervbiev.

Gvozdyk, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, was inactive until February when he returned and earned a six-round win.

Dmitry Bivol, left, defeated Canelo Álvarez during a light heavyweight title fight on May 7, 2022, in Las Vegas.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

Canelo Álvarez has lofty expectations for himself ahead of his Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown against John Ryder.

The undisputed super middleweight champion is a heavy betting favorite against his mandatory challenger. Álvarez will be fighting in Mexico for the first time in 12 years and the bout unfold in front of nearly 55,000 fans.

If the 32-year-old Álvarez somehow shockingly disappoints and folds in his backyard, he’s promising it will be the last time he laces up the gloves.

“If John Ryder beats me, I’m done,” Álvarez said after his weigh-in Friday. “But it’s not my last fight. I’m going to continue in boxing for a long time. I just think for the best fighter out there. I don’t want to be too confident because they said the same thing about Dmitry Bivol, and look [what happened when I lost to him in May 2022]. So, I train 100% for the good fighter out there. Like I said, if I lose to John Ryder, then I’m done.”

Should Álvarez beat Ryder, he has his sights set on a rematch with the WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol around Mexican Independence Day in September.

“I just want to continue my history — the big fights out there — and right now my short-term goal is the fight with Dmitry Bivol, and then we’ll see,” Álvarez said.

Canelo Álvarez, right, fights Gennady Golovkin in a super middleweight title boxing match Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez

Age: 32 (July 18, 1990)

Hometown: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Residence: San Diego

Record: 58-2-2, 39 KOs

Nickname: Canelo

World championship fights: 19-2-1, 11 KOs

Championships: Super welterweight (154 pounds), middleweight (160 pounds), super middleweight (168 pounds), light heavyweight (175 pounds)

Total rounds fought: 460

Knockout ratio: 62.9%

Height: 5-foot-8

Reach: 70.5 inches

Weight: 168 pounds

Stance: Right-handed

Manager / Trainer: Eddy Reynoso

Turned professional: 2005

Notable wins: Gennady Golovkin (two wins; one draw), Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Rocky Fielding, Julio César Chávez Jr., Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout, Josesito López, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintrón and Matthew Hatton.

Notable losses: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol

John Ryder, left, tries to hit Callum Smith with a left during the WBA super middleweight boxing title bout Nov. 23, 2019, in Liverpool, England.

(Richard Sellers / Associated Press)

John Ryder

Age: 34 (July 19, 1988)

Hometown: Islington, London, United Kingdom

Residence: Islington, London, United Kingdom

Record: 32-5, 18 KOs

Nickname: The Gorilla

Total rounds fought: 233

Knockout ratio: 48.6%

Height: 5-foot-9

Reach: 72 inches

Weight: 167.1 pounds

Stance: Left-handed

Trainer: Tony Sims

Turned professional: 2010

Notable wins: Daniel Jacobs, Zach Parker

Notable losses: Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, Billy Joe Saunders

Fans buy posters of Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Álvarez during his weigh-in ceremony in Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday.

(Moises Castillo / Associated Press)

The pay-per-view card headlined by Canelo Álvarez and John Ryder will begin at 4 p.m. PDT and will be complemented with three other fights.

• WBC champion Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Ronal Batista — Flyweight
  
• Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs. Steve Spark — Super lightweight
  
• Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Ricards Bolotniks — Light heavyweight

Other non-televised undercard action includes:

• Nathan Devon Rodriguez vs. Alexander Mejia — Featherweight
  
• Bek Nurmaganbet vs. Argenis Espana — Lightweight
  
• Lawrence King vs. Elio German Rafael — Super Middleweight
  
• Abilkhan Amankul vs. Fabian Rios Frausto — Middleweight
  
• Johansen Alvarez Suarez vs. Johan Rodriguez Arreguin — Super featherweight
  
• Carlos Emiliano Rojo vs. Fabian Trejo Rivera — Super welterweight

While you wait for the Canelo Álvarez vs. John Ryder main event, look back at their weigh-in ceremony Friday.

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Mariachis perform in front of a poster of Saul “Canelo” Álvarez during a weigh-in ceremony ahead of Álvarez’s fight against Britain’s John Ryder.

(Refugio Ruiz / Associated Press)

Midday Saturday, Canelo Álvarez was a -1800 betting favorite to win, and John Ryder a +900 betting underdog, according to DraftKings. For those inclined, here are the methods of victory that can be wagered on:

• Álvarez by decision or technical decision: +330
  
• Álvarez by KO/TKO/DQ: -370
  
• Ryder by decision or technical decision: +1600
  
• Ryder by KO/TKO/DQ: +2000
  
• Draw: +2200

Betting against Álvarez appears to be a bigger risk than hosting a Cinco de Mayo party without any beer and carne asada — tread wisely.

Canelo Álvarez’s homecoming fight against John Ryder at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico, will take place in front of an expected sold-out crowd of 55,000 fans.

It can be streamed on DAZN pay-per-view. In order to purchase the event, you either need to purchase a monthly or annual DAZN subscription in order to purchase the fight for an additional $54.99.

For a more streamlined point of purchasing, PPV.com is also carrying the event for $79.99.

The PPV portion of the fight card begins at 4 p.m. PDT.

For a complete list of bars and restaurants that will be carrying the fight across the country, visit Joe Hand Promotions.