Eddie Hearn views Canelo Alvarez’s upcoming fight with John Ryder as an important litmus test.
Alvarez, 32, is scheduled to defend his four super middleweight titles against London’s Ryder on May 6 at Azteca Stadium in Alvarez’s homeland of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Ryder, 34, is no slouch and has proven himself to be a more than capable contender in recent years, with wins over Daniel Jacobs and Zach Parker. (Many, moreover, thought Ryder deserved to get the nod on the scorecards in his title shot against Callum Smith in 2019.) But against Alvarez, Ryder will be a sizable underdog.
Alvarez is looking for a statement win after a somewhat underwhelming win over bitter foe Gennadiy Golovkin last September. Before that, Alvarez dropped a decision to light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol in a 175-pound contest.
Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, which promotes Alvarez, believes an underwhelming performance from his star charge against Ryder could signify a decline in his boxing abilities. Alvarez underwent surgery for an injured hand late last year.
“May 6 will tell us a lot about Canelo,” Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show. “Like, although Ryder is a massive underdog, he will give it [100%]. I know him very well. He will give it everything. If Saul’s not on it. If Saul’s hand is not quite right. If Saul hasn’t quite got the hunger, even if he wins, he may not do it convincingly against John Ryder. If he doesn’t do that then you have to start looking at a potential regression, I don’t know.”
Alvarez has long insisted his top objective is to enter a rematch with Bivol. Their rematch could take place later this year in September.
Hearn feels an impressive win over Ryder will give Alvarez much-needed momentum heading into a rematch where he would likely be the clear underdog.
“If he goes out and looks great against John Ryder then all of a sudden, he goes into the Bivol fight with confidence,” Hearn said. “But he’s adamant. I honestly could say to Saul and I could sit Eddy Reynoso down and go, ‘Listen, I think this is a bad idea (to fight Bivol). You boxed him once at 175 and he won pretty comfortably. His confidence now’—they’ll just tell me to be quiet and just make the fight. They’re desperate for the chance at revenge.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.