Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO
MAY 6
MAIN EVENT
UNDERCARD
ATMOSPHERE
TWO HOURS after the last of the 50,000-strong crowd had filtered out of the Estadio Akron on the western outskirts of Guadalajara, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, flanked by his wife and two young children, sat down to assess what had been against John Ryder. The dark glasses hid much of the marking around the Mexican’s face that the visitor from Islington had administered. His smile hid the frustration that he was unable to mark this triumphant return to his home town with a show reel stoppage.
It was that inability to end the fight early, like he had in 39 of his 62 previous outings, that prompted Ryder to describe Canelo as a man in decline. October will be the 18th anniversary of his first professional fight. For context, Canelo made his debut the same year that YouTube was invented and George W Bush was re-elected as President.
He is a man who has been doing this for a long time. During fight week he insisted he loves it as much as ever
