By Ricardo Lezama 
Saturday night will see Boxing’s most famous ambassador, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, in his return to Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. Canelo will defend his undisputed champion of the 168lb division at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The homecoming for the world’s best boxer will mark his first fight in more than 10 years in Mexico. He will defend his titles against the WBO’s number one contender, John Ryder, from England.
The fight will take place in Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. This means that Canelo, in the prime of his career, is effectively taking a paycut to fight and defend his world titles and 1st position within the 168 super middleweight division.
John Ryder is no slouch. The fighter from the United Kingdom has earned his number 1 rank within the WBO rankings:
Ryder has a shared opponent with Canelo, Callum Smith, who many felt Ryder bested in a 2018 fight and eventually had to fight his way back into number one contention against Daniel Jacobs, another shared opponent with Canelo that Ryder did beat as well.
(1) Canelo Alvarez vs. John Ryder Main Event Press Conference – YouTube
For most Mexicans, the fight is a symbol of everything near and dear to the Boxing and general fan base: bravery, honor and dignity. Canelo has begun to embody these aspects of the sport and culture in victory and defeat, daring to be great even when the odds were obviously against him against certain opponents.
Canelo Alvarez has become a dignified spokesperson for Mexicans, screaming to the world in a calm demeanor that Mexican men can be of high value due to talent and work ethic.
Popular American Press Rushes To Prematurely Retire Mexican Fighter Within His Prime
In our view, American based outlets have always been hesitant to provide Mexican boxers, like Canelo, too much positive press. The business would like a primarily English-speaking star to market, but there is also the issue of American hubris on sports. The popular conception is that America should be number one, and it is up there. Boxers, like Errol Spence and Terence Crawford, are worthy P4P elite. However, they fight so infrequently that it is tough to compare their risk averse career to a mad man like Canelo.
Outlets like Fox or ESPN/Disney have a vested interest in the eventual retirement of Canelo, and cannot have it any sooner. In fact, many outlets are diminishing his recent accomplishments at super middleweight by casting doubt on his last victory: “ho hum” is what American, Brian Campbell of CBS called the victory against GGG.
However, we feel that the criticism is not fair to Canelo’s consistent performance against top-tier or mandatory opponents. Rather, this comment is born from the desire of Americans for an American, like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, to be at the helm of the sport.