the mexican champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez retained the super middleweight world title by winning by dunanimous split to british John ‘Gorilla’ Ryder on Saturday, in a fight held at Akron Stadium, in guadalajara. Canelo dominated and was superior in most of the fight, but although he managed to send his opponent to the canvas a couple of times, he was unable to knock him out.
After the 12 rounds of the stellar fight of the function called “The King Comes Home”which was attended by some 50,000 spectators, the judges gave Álvarez the victory in a broad way, with the following cards: 120-107, 118-109 and 118-109.
“Ryder is a very tough and very difficult fighter, I respect him a lot”, Álvarez said after winning the fight held within the framework of the 200th anniversary of the founding of his native state of Jalisco. “It is a historic moment for me, I am blessed to be here with my people, who have supported me from the beginning.”
Both fighters took advantage of the first chapter as a true study round. Without flashes on the ring, the Mexican looked somewhat better. The second episode was marked by Álvarez’s hook to Ryder’s liver and by a clash of heads that left a slight injury to the champion’s right eyebrow.
Ryder began the third round bathed in his own blood from an intense nosebleed, testimony to Álvarez’s punches. By the fourth round, Álvarez was already looking dominant, working the fight with jabs and straight left and right.
ryder falls
The fans erupted in the stadium when Álvarez sent Ryder to the canvas with a combination to the head, first a jab and then a right straight. The ‘Gorilla’ reacted positively to the referee’s protection account. Visibly tired and making an effort to stabilize his foot, Ryder managed to connect an uppercut to the head of the Mexican who continued ahead in the sixth round.
With seemingly impenetrable guard and dealing blows to the challenger, ‘CinnamonÁlvarez also took the seventh chapter. In the eighth, Ryder’s image was more dramatic with a bloody face and receiving Álvarez’s right and left equally. About to end the episode, the Briton fell to the canvas, but this time because of a stumble.
Ryder made it to the ninth round, but without hurting Álvarez. The Mexican’s right hand became an ordeal for the head of the true Briton who staggered, but remained on his feet. In an attempt to connect some lucky break in the ‘Cinnamon‘, in the tenth roll the ‘Gorilla’ was left unprotected, without guard, and received tremendous blows to the head.
Ryder’s agony continued to the eleventh round where he only dedicated himself to resisting to reach the limit of the fight. He reached the twelfth and final round. Alvarez finished with few traces of the battle on his face and Ryder will steady himself on his feet until the last bell chimes. ‘CinnamonÁlvarez, 32, now has 63 fights: 59 wins (39 by knockout), two losses and two draws.
John Ryder, two years older than the Mexican, increased his record to 38 fights, of which he won 32 (18 by knockout) and lost six (one by knockout).
AFP/HB
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