Four-weight world champion, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, has confirmed rumours that he will return to action in May and revealed that he will be fighting in Mexico for the first time since 2011.
Canelo’s last fight in his native country came against Kermit Cintron over a decade ago. He won by fifth-round knockout, making a third successful defence of the WBC super-welterweight title – the first world honours of his career.
Since then, Canelo has become the undisputed super-middleweight champion and established himself as a pound-for-pound modern great.
However, in 2022, many felt the Mexican’s stock fell slightly after two lacklustre performances. The 32-year-old lost for the first time in almost eight years as he was outpointed by WBA light-heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol, last May.
He then beat long-time rival Gennadiy Golovkin in September, but revealed that he was hampered by an injury and needed a break from the sport to recover.
Now, the fiery-haired poster boy of the sport has announced his return, sharing a clip on social media where he announced a return to Jalisco, Mexico for a fight in May.
“Celebrating the 200 free and sovereign years of Jalisco, I fight again in my land. I will defend all my titles next May. More details soon,”
El boxeador más grande de México regresa a casa para pelear por Jalisco y celebrar contigo sus 200 años libre y soberano. Escucha esta sorpresa y compártela: pic.twitter.com/j4bykSJe1A
— Enrique Alfaro (@EnriqueAlfaroR) February 20, 2023
The bout is anticipated to take place on May 6, which will be the seventh time in nine years that Canelo has fought around Mexican holiday, Cinco De Mayo.
It is also widely expected that his opponent will be his mandatory challenger, John Ryder, with ESPN reporting that the pair are in advanced talks.
Ryder had hoped that a fight with Canelo could take place at the Emirates Stadium in London, home of his beloved Arsenal FC, but has reiterated that he doesn’t care too much about the location and simply wants the fight.