The incredibly lush bank account, countless world titles, and pound-for-pound stature, while impressive, have done nothing to placate the burning desire of Canelo Alvarez.
Seemingly at the top of his game and believing wholeheartedly in his ability to truncate his championship reign, the 32-year-old brazenly made the trek seven pounds north earlier this year to take on Dmitry Bivol.
Despite his ambitions, Alvarez was comprehensively handed just the second defeat of his career. Forced to wallow despondently, the future first ballot Hall of Famer returned to the winner’s circle just a few months later, doing so against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Having closed the chapter on their protracted rivalry, Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) has succinctly instructed promoter Eddie Hearn to pursue an eventual rematch against Bivol. Although Hearn has stated on countless occasions that he’ll do his best to acquiesce to Alvarez’s demands, he recently revealed that if John Ryder snags the victory this upcoming weekend against England’s Zach Parker, a showdown against Alvarez would make all of the sense in the world.
“He would be the mandatory for the WBO,” said Hearn during an interview with Matchroom Boxing. “He would be the perfect opponent for Canelo Alvarez for his UK fight.”
Ryder, a former down-on-his-luck contender, has put together the sort of run that has him firmly entrenched in the super middleweight title picture. With wins in seven of his past eight ring appearances, Ryder (31-5-1, 17 KOs) punctuated his 168-pound stature following a close but clear split decision victory over former middleweight titlist, Daniel Jacobs.
Though his motivations were already sky-high, Ryder received good news as he was informed that his showdown against the undefeated Parker will have the WBO interim crown up for grabs. Considering what’s at stake, Hearn is confident that a win over his fellow British contender could vault Ryder to the front of the line as a clear candidate to take on Alvarez in the first half of 2023.
“Everything’s on the line for him. Obviously, he fought Danny Jacobs earlier this year so he’s had a good year. He can close it out in style with a victory.”