GUADALAJARA
\nUndisputed super middleweight champion Saul \u2018Canelo\u2019 Alvarez retained his titles in style with a unanimous victory over Britain\u2019s John Ryder in front of a home crowd in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday.
\nAlvarez was the significantly busier fighter in the early exchanges, leaving Ryder with blood seeping from his nose in the third round before sending the Briton to the canvas in the fifth with a big left-right combination.
\nRyder grew into the contest as it wore on but was unable to offset the punishment he was dealt in the first half of the bout, with Alvarez receiving scores of 120-107, 118-109 and 118-109 from the three judges to seal the win.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a historic moment for me. I\u2019m blessed to be here with my people who have supported me from the beginning,\u201d said Alvarez, who was born in Guadalajara and grew up in the neighbouring town of Juanacatlan.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s a very strong fighter, man. When they\u2019re going for everything (all the championship belts), they turn it on. They become more difficult than usual. But I know that. I\u2019m in this position a long time and I know.
\n\u201cI respect my opponents because I know they\u2019re coming for everything.\u201d
\nSaturday\u2019s fight, which bettered Alvarez\u2019s record to 59-2-2, was the 32-year-old\u2019s first since undergoing hand surgery after beating rival Gennady Golovkin last year. Asked about his hand, Alvarez said it felt good, adding: \u201cNot in the beginning. I needed a couple rounds, three rounds, to start punching to know I was good with the hand.\u201d
\nRight after his win, Alvarez called for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who inflicted the second of only two losses on Alvarez\u2019s resume when the pair clashed in a light heavyweight bout last year.
\n\u201cEverybody knows we want the rematch with Bivol,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cIf the fight with Bivol doesn\u2019t happen then we\u2019ll see. I\u2019m able to fight everybody.\u201d
\nAlvarez added that any future rematch with Bivol would take place at 175 pounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GUADALAJARA Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul \u2018Canelo\u2019 Alvarez retained his titles in style with a unanimous victory over Britain\u2019s John Ryder in front of a home crowd in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday. Alvarez was the significantly busier fighter in the early exchanges, leaving Ryder with blood seeping from his nose in the third round before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-330021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n