John Ryder has openly issued a warning to Canelo Alvarez, telling the undisputed super middleweight champion not to underestimate him and not think about fighting a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September if he still doesn’t fight him in May.
Don’t sleep on me: John Ryder tells Canelo
Canelo Alvarez and John Ryder will lock horns on May 6th, at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Ryder currently holds the interim WBO super middleweight belt, and will be contesting for Canelo’s undisputed titles. Ryder wants to be seen fighting Canelo again in September in a rematch at the Emirates Stadium which is the current home of Arsenal in the English Premier League.
“I’ve seen him mention Bivol and (David) Benavidez,” Ryder told Boxingscene.com during a recent virtual presser. “Don’t sleep on me. The only rematch you’re having in September is with me at the Emirates (Stadium).”
The English fighter’s warning comes from the fact that his fight with Canelo has been seen as a mere formality and a preparation bout before a big event in September. In addition to that, the Mexican boxer’s team has said that it is a fight to see how Canelo’s hand behaves, after having undergone surgery.
“The hand and wrist surgery he had in between—I guess it will all just depend on how he is when he returns,” Ryder went on. “We’ll see if he comes back as the old Canelo or if he’s not longer what he once was.”
All that being said, Ryder agrees with the general perception that Canelo is coming off a bad year, which many term as perhaps the worst of his career.
“I think I’m a year older than him but he’s got a lot of miles on the clock,” Ryder, currently a +700 underdog according to bet365, added. “Last year was a tough year for him. He only had one win and had one loss. It wasn’t a big win he had with Golovkin, and of course he lost to Bivol.”
