Boxing

BOXING fans were quick to notice a specific detail with the ring ahead of Saturday’s super-middleweight bout between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and John Ryder.Canelo successfully defended his undisputed super-middleweight crown on home soil following a stunning display at the Akron Stadium.
Canelo took on Ryder in Mexico on SaturdayCredit: Getty
The Mexican dropped his opponent in round fiveCredit: Reuters
He won the bout by unanimous decision with scores of 120-107, 118-109 and 118-109.
But some boxing fans claimed that he was at an advantage before the fight had even begun.
Prior to the first bell, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the size of the ring was unusually small.
One person tweeted: “This ring size for the Canelo fight is the SMALLEST ring I’ve ever seen! It looks like children should be fighting in it!”
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Another added: “Agreeing To This Ring Size With Canelo Is Suicide.”
A third claimed: “Gonna be short night for Canelo with that ring size.”
While a fourth wrote: “Canelo Alvarez should benefit from small ring. John Ryder won’t have anywhere to hide inside Guadalajara’s 18-foot ring.
“Alvarez is always comfortable fighting in close proximity to his opponents, and the smaller ring size means Ryder will have less room for error.”
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Canelo won by unanimous decisionCredit: Reuters
The standard size of a professional boxing ring can range from 16 square feet to 24 square feet.
Canelo is known to prefer a smaller-sized ring.
In May 2021, the Mexican got into a dispute with British boxer Billy Joe Saunders over the proposed 18ft ring that was set to be used in their super-middleweight bout.
Saunders, who likened the 18ft ring to a “phone box”, threatened to walk away from the fight altogether unless a bigger one was confirmed for the fight.
The issue was eventually resolved when the pair agreed on a 22ft ring.
The 18ft ring certainly suited Canelo on Saturday.
The 32-year-old dominated the fight and dropped Ryder in round five, but the Brit fought back to go the distance despite sustaining a broken nose. More

JOHN RYDER confirmed he suffered a broken nose against Canelo Alvarez but bravely boxed on to hear the final bell. The Londoner travelled to Guadalajara to be in the opposite corner of Canelo’s Mexican homecoming.
John Ryder confirmed he suffered a broken nose against Canelo AlvarezCredit: Twitter / @DAZNBoxing
John Ryder was beaten on points in MexicoCredit: Getty
But he was unable to upset the applecart in his challenge for the undisputed WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world titles.
Ryder suffered a busted nose in the opening stages of the fight and was floored in round five with a right hand but survived to tell the tale.
He told Matchroom Boxing: “After all these years of boxing, it’s the first time I broke my nose.
“It was a new experience. Got back to my corner, towel in my face, just couldn’t breathe. There was blood going back down my throat.
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“It was a new experience but obviously I’ve got a good calming corner, calmed me down.
“And then after that, it was just hard to sit down and get my breathing. So I was standing up throughout the rounds.
“Like I said, new experience, I felt I won the first two rounds quite well. I was boxing sensibly.
“Then I just got careless in the last second, leaned forward, and took that big uppercut.”
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Fans hailed Ryder for his gallant effort in Canelo’s backyard.
One said: “What a tough man. He deserves every penny.”
Another added: “Heart! Could have gave up or stayed down after the knockdowns. Not in his blood! Earned a fan in me.”
Ryder, 34, became the EIGHTH Brit to lose to Canelo, 32, and gave his respect to the pound-for-pound star following defeat.
He said: “Listen, I always thought he was very good. He’s good, he sets traps, he’s there.
“Even when you think you’re having success – which I was in the first couple of rounds – you could see that he was downloading information to stick it on in the later rounds and set the traps.”
John Ryder was floored in round fiveCredit: Reuters More

THE scorecard for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s showdown with John Ryder has been revealed.To the delight of locals in Guadalajara, Canelo won by unanimous decision to defend his undisputed super-middleweight title.
Canelo won the bout by unanimous decisionCredit: Reuters
The scorecards for Alvarez vs RyderCredit: Twitter
The judges scored the bout 120-107, 118-109 and 118-109.
But eagle-eyed boxing fans were quick to spot a number of issues with the scorecard.
Brits fumed at the judge who scored the fight 120-107 for Canelo, with many arguing it was a lot closer.
One wrote: “120-107 is an absolute disgrace. No respect to John Ryder at all….”
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Another posted: “Canelo definitely won but 120-107 is wild”
And a third wrote: “120-107 ?! 🤯🤯🤯 Judges in Boxing never fail to disappoint… Ryder got 2-3 rounds minimum on my card”
Some noticed that all three judges had spelt Ryder’s name wrong, instead writing ‘Rayder’.
One person tweeted: “All 3 spelled Ryder’s surname wrong. Pathetic.”
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Another added: “None of them even realized his last name was Ryder? Canelo won yes, but they sure didn’t give Ryder his due credit.”
While a third suggested that the error was “pathetic”.
It is not known whether this was a mistake or done deliberately to correspond with the local pronunciation of the Brit’s name.
Fans were also concerned that the judges repeatedly referred to Canelo by his first name, Saul.
Saturday’s fight saw the Mexican return to fight on home soil for the first time in 12 years.
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Canelo dropped Ryder in round fiveCredit: Reuters
The bout was dominated by the 32-year-old.
Canelo dropped Ryder in round five following a strong start, but the Brit fought back to go the distance despite sustaining a broken nose in the early stages.
In his post-fight press conference, Ryder admitted that the injury was a huge hindrance.
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He said: “He’s probably past his best, he could not get me out there, he wanted to stop me and could not do it.
“It could have been a little different without the problem to my nose, it took me a few rounds to get adjusted.” More

SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ celebrated a stunning Mexican homecoming by dominating brave John Ryder in front of 50,000 raucous fans.The 32-year-old successfully defended his undisputed super-middleweight crown on points in an historic night in Guadalajara at Estadio Akron as he fought on home soil for the first time since 2011.
Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez enjoyed a stunning homecoming in GuadalajaraCredit: EPA
The star dominated brave John Ryder to retain his undisputed super middleweight crownCredit: Getty
The Brit was floored in the fifth round in front of a raucous crowdCredit: Reuters
Canelo continued to dominate and earned the win via unanimous decisionCredit: AP
Canelo dominated the British boxer throughout and dropped Ryder in round five.
The Londonder fought back to go the distance but there was no doubt whose hand would be raised come the final bell.
And it was Canelo that was celebrating as two judges scored the bout 118-109 in his favour while the other went 120-107 to the icon.
That cemented the four-weight world champion his 59th victory since turning professional, with two losses and two draws.
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It was Ryder’s sixth defeat in 38 outings and was his second unsuccessful attempt for a world title.
The fight, billed as “The King is coming home”, started strongly for the local hero as he landed two huge left hooks to the challenger’s body in the first.
Ryder’s nose was then busted open two rounds later, leaving him with a bloodied face for the rest of the fight.
The vocal crowd then erupted in the fifth as Canelo landed a massive left-right combo that sent Ryder staggering backwards before he eventually fell to the canvas.
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The Englishman took an eight count and managed to see out the round but he was on the floor again in the eighth – but that referee declared that it was a slip.
A sensational round nine followed as another combination from Canelo saw the official poised to step in and stop it, but Ryder sucked it up and began trading back in a gutsy effort.
Ryder then knew he needed a knockout in the championship round and he began landing with more ease on Canelo, but he was unable to rock the superstar, although it was clear his performance had won the respect of the Mexican crowd. More

CANELO ALVAREZ has apologised to British boxing fans for his repeated victories over fighters from these shores.But the Mexican star would “love” to stage a bout in the UK in the future.
Canelo Alvarez (left) takes on John Ryder in Guadalajara on Saturday nightCredit: EPA
Canelo, 32, already has SEVEN scalps over Brit fighters on his 58-2-2 record.
His first win against a Brit was way back in 2011 when he beat Matthew Hatton to win the WBC light middleweight title.
Since then he has also triumphed over Ryan Rhodes, Amir Khan, Liam Smith, Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, and most recently Billy Joe Saunders.
And Canelo is targeting another Brit on Saturday night when he takes on John Ryder in his home city of Guadalajara.
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Speaking to The Telegraph about his record against British opponents, he said: “I’m sorry to all the UK people. But I had to do it.”
Following the undisputed middleweight title clash against Ryder, Canelo is eyeing a bout in the UK.
And the pound-for-pound king promised a UK fight is coming “soon”.
On fighting in the UK, he said: “I’ve been thinking this for a long time.
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“I would love to fight there, and believe me, it’s going to be soon.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed fighting in the UK is a possibility for Canelo.
The Matchroom chief said: “The plan now with Saul is to box all around the world, next Saturday he will be boxing in front of 50,000 fans in his home town of Guadalajara which was always a dream of his, and beyond that he would love to fight in the UK.  
“And there would be nothing we would love more than to bring him to our national stadium for a huge fight in front of the British fight fans.”
How Canelo and John Ryder compare ahead of their showdown More