Canelo Alvarez hands John Ryder a beatdown, secures a unanimous decision victory in homecoming (Video)

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez dominated over 12 rounds of boxing to secure a unanimous decision over John Ryder.

The homecoming for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (59-2-2) was extravagant, including the ringwalk that triggered a roar from the 51,000 plus at the Akron Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico. Canelo battered John Ryder (32-6) for twelve rounds, resulting in a unanimous decision victory, with the three judges scoring it 120-107, 118-109 & 118-109. 

In the first round, Canelo showed a lot of patience. A left hook to the body was the primary weapon for Canelo, while Ryder kept the fight close, forcing Canelo into the high guard. Round two saw Canelo being the busier man with the left jab, which set up the overhand right. Ryder landed solid shots from the mid-range, especially the left uppercut to the chest of Canelo. 

Canelo landed a stiff straight right hand in the third round that busted Ryder’s nose. Ryder started to become a bloody mess, and Canelo pressed forward and applied a ton of pressure while landing those mid-range left hooks and straight right hands. In round four, Canelo started changing the levels of his left hook as he went to the head and body throughout the round. Ryder survived with some good countershots, but Canelo’s pressure was too much.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez retains his undisputed crown by defeating John Ryder in front of a crowd of over 51,000 fans

In the fifth round, a straight right hand by Canelo knocked down Ryder, but when he got up, Ryder came right to Canelo, landed some clean four-punch combinations, and made it to the end of the round. Canelo kept shooting out the left jab in the sixth round, followed by the straight right hand that gave Ryder many problems. Ryder was breathing hard and was bothered by the busted nose from the third round.

Ryder gave it all he had in the seventh round, but his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, and his face was covered in blood. Canelo was pumping the left jab and injecting the right uppercut into his offense to make things difficult for Ryder. The eighth round was another dominant round by Canelo, and towards the end of it, a trip after a punch got a roar from the crowd, but it wasn’t ruled a knockdown.

Toward the end of the ninth round, Canelo landed several straight right hands that sent Ryder into a stumbling state he could not shake off. Ryder then came out of it and started asking for more from Canelo as the round ended. Both men took the tenth round off as they were exhausted from the outdoor venue 5,000 feet above sea level.

In the last two rounds, Canelo picked up where he left off, as it was a steady diet of left jabs and overhand rights for Canelo while Ryder was trying to do anything to survive. Although Canelo attempted to get the knockout, he couldn’t quite get it. Ryder held a bit, and Canelo made gestures as if to fight more, but Ryder wasn’t falling for it as both men made it to the sound of the final bell.

In the end, Canelo secures the victory and calls for a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.