By most accounts, it was a pyrrhic victory for Canelo Alvarez. He won unanimously. But his performance, especially his inability to stop a relatively unheard-of but ranked challenger, caught many off-balance. On the other hand, John Ryder received widespread praise for presenting a solid chin to one of the faces of boxing. The Briton remains one of the few with ample knowledge of how the Mexican icon fights. A natural option for media houses to gain information on the Super Middleweight champion’s chances next week.

Fight Hub TV‘s Marcos Viegas, after exchanging the initial pleasantries, asked the British boxer, “A lot of people suggested that [that] uh, you know he’s slipping a little bit, I think even after the press conference you had mentioned like you felt like, oh, maybe Canelo is slipping a little bit, um, do you still feel that way?” Ryder, agreeing, replied that Canelo Alvarez is getting on in years.

John Ryder – Thumbs up for Canelo Alvarez, but…

Especially the year 2021 proved taxing since he fought three times—against Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant—to unify the division. ‘The Gorilla’ said, “…I think it took a lot out of him, then he …he lost to Bivol um, and then the…the win over Golovkin, which was was a good win; he beat him every round, but it looked a bit lackluster. He came back, he had surgery on his wrist, and then…then he was coming back with me…”

However, the Englishman clarified that he was in the ring with Canelo Alvarez, all said and done. Hence, he could say confidently that the Mexican champion still has some boxing left in him.

Too soon to call the Canelo story over

Many fans and critics are keenly looking out for him as he goes against Jermell Charlo on September 30. Nevertheless, Ryder believes that Canelo Alvarez will prevail. However, beyond that, it would be challenging to predict what’s in store for him. Ryder said, “…listen I’ve got in there with him; he is the real deal. He’s still got a lot left to give; um, I know there’s going to be a lot of eyes on him on…on September 30th for the Charlo fight, but it’s a fight, and I think he’s he’s going to come through and come through well, but where he goes from now, I don’t know.”

Soon after his first title defense against long-time rival Gennady Golovkin last year, few expected an injured Canelo Alvarez to return until September. However, he turned up three months early to defend his undisputed title again against John Ryder. Subsequently, there were talks of a Dmitry Bivol rematch and an offer from David Benavidez. But the latter finally settled for a third title defense against Jermell Charlo on September 30.

Read More: “The Wax Figure Looks More Like Canelo Than Canelo Himself”: Weeks After Generating 14 Million Streams, “Face of Boxing” Canelo Alvarez Stuns Fans With Latest Instagram Post

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Watch This Story: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo: Date, Time, Venue, Tickets, and Livestream