GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Hours before a scheduled weigh-in, outside a centuries old theatre in the heart of the city, hundreds of fans pressed against a hastily erected metal fence. A young boy held up a piece of pink posterboard with Gracias Canelo scribbled across it. Whenever a car pulled up familiar chants—Ca-nel-o, Ca-nel-o—would bubble up from the crowd. By midday temperatures approached 90. No one seemed to care.
They were there for Canelo Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion who will defend his titles against John Ryder on Saturday. More than 50,000 fans are expected to stream into Estadio Akron, marking Álvarez’s first fight in Mexico in more than a decade.
The question is: Which version of Álvarez are they going to get?
Last year was a challenging one for Álvarez. He knows it. Admits it. He lost to Dmitry Bivol, his first defeat in nearly a decade. He defeated Gennadiy Golovkin but didn’t beat him quite as easily as many expected. He was dropped from the top of most pound-for-pound lists. Over the last two weeks he listened to pundits declare Gervonta Davis the face of boxing.
“I’m not retired yet,” Álvarez told reporters, smiling. “I feel I’m the best.”
But is he? Critics will point to decades worth of wear and tear on Álvarez’s body. He’s 32 but turned pro at 15. He has 62 professional fights. For context, no one else on Sports Illustrated’s pound-for-pound list has more than 39.
He isn’t fighting rounds. He’s fighting hard rounds. He went 36 with Golovkin. 12 with Bivol. He went the distance with Daniel Jacobs, Miguel Cotto and Erislandy Lara. Álvarez prides himself on pursuing the toughest challenges. Bumps and bruises are the price you pay for it.
Álvarez smiles at the skepticism. “I’m in my prime,” he told me this week. He pointed to his left hand. For two years, Álvarez says, the hand has been a problem. In fights, but more so in training, where Álvarez couldn’t throw it with confidence. “I couldn’t hold a cup [before the last fight],” Álvarez says. He had surgery after the Golovkin fight. He says he is pain free.
“It’s really good,” says Álvarez. “I’m motivated because now I’m able to train 100%. That’s made me feel confident. It’s motivated me.”
On Saturday, Álvarez begins a new chapter. He is still a champion, the king of the 168-pound division. And he is still hunted. David Benavidez, a two-time super middleweight titleholder, has called for a fight with Álvarez. And Bivol has said he is ready to give him a rematch. But he would be an underdog in a rematch with Bivol. And many in the industry believe Benavidez would give this version of Álvarez a difficult fight.
“I’m the best fighter out there,” says Álvarez. “I lost to the best fighter at 175-pounds [Bivol]. I tried to [make] history. I tried to do things differently than other fighters. It’s not easy but I like challenges. I feel good. I feel in my prime. And you’re going to see.”
Refugio Ruiz/AP
First up is Ryder. Ryder’s résumé isn’t glossy. He lost a split decision to Rocky Fielding. Álvarez wiped out Fielding in three rounds. He lost a close decision to Callum Smith. Álvarez walked through Smith in winning a lopsided decision. But Ryder will enter the ring with confidence. He earned the opportunity to face Canelo with back-to-back wins over Jacobs and Zach Parker. He’s physical, awkward and likes to rough things up.
“John is a good fighter,” said Álvarez. “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.”
He will do it on the biggest stage. Álvarez can’t say why it’s taken him more than a decade to return to Mexico. “There were a lot of things that made it hard to put the fight here,” Álvarez said. He is taking a pay cut for the fight but believes the significance of the event will be worth it. A local mariachi band played Álvarez on stage at the weigh-in on Friday. A group of local students roared for him when they did. A state politician took the stage to declare Álvarez the greatest Mexican boxer ever and praised him for bringing a fight back home.
“You can expect something special,” Álvarez said. “And the result [will be] 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 going to be one of the best nights of my career for sure.”
