Oscar De La Hoya has had his say on Canelo’s unanimous decision victory against John Ryder – and it’s fair to say he wasn’t impressed.
Canelo returned to his homeland to defend his super middleweight titles in front of 50,000 at a sold out Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Mexican’s performance could be summed up as solid but not spectacular. Canelo dominated the majority of the fight but it wasn’t the statement showing he would have craved in front of his home fans – but Ryder must take a lot of credit for that.
Canelo busted Ryder’s nose in the second round and had his man down in the fifth and most thought the end was near. But the Brit showed incredible courage and bravery to hear the final bell.
The official scores were 120-107, 118-109, 118-109.
The build up naturally drew comparisons to when Julio Cesar Chavez’s fought Greg Haugen at Estadio Azteca in 1993, in front of an estimated 134,000 fans. On that night Chavez put on a brutal display, stopping Haugen in the fifth having dished out 15 minutes of punishment.
After the final bell, De La Hoya was quick to make the comparison between Alvarez and Charvez.
“Nobody will ever be Julio Cesar Chavez”
Nadie jamás va a ser Julio César Chávez
No body will ever be @Jcchavez115— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) May 7, 2023
De La Hoya promoted Canelo up until 2020 when the two had a public and contentious split over a contract dispute. The 32 year-old currently works with Matchroom and rival promoter Eddie Hearn.
Canelo will now look to rematch Dmitiry Bivol, who put on a boxing masterclass to cause the upset last May. The only sticking point seems to be the weight, with Canelo wanting to run it back at 175lb, but Bivol wanting a shot at becoming undisputed at 168lb.