Predictions: Canelo vs Ryder and three more fights

Will Canelo conquer in his return to Mexico, or can John Ryder possibly pull the shocker?

Canelo Alvarez is back in a Mexican ring for the first time since 2011 on Saturday, when he defends his super middleweight undisputed championship against John Ryder at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.

Will Canelo return on conquering fashion? Does Ryder have a shot at the upset?

Here’s what we foresee going down on Saturday night!

Scott Christ (36-18)

I expect great energy in Estadio Akron. I expect a lot of fanfare and pageantry and a generally cool scene. I expect John Ryder to give a sincere effort to win, because this is the biggest opportunity of his life and he’s a good fighter. I expect Canelo to start a little tentative; he might even lose a couple rounds. And when he warms up the engine, I expect Canelo to dominate. Look to the body. Canelo TKO-8

Wil Esco (40-14)

In my humble opinion, this is as good of a momentum building fight as Canelo could really hope for as a credible opponent who doesn’t really pose a significant threat. And it’s not even that I think John Ryder is the most terrible fighter or anything, but he’s clearly overmatched in the talent department and Canelo is going to have a point to prove in front of his countrymen as he looks towards a rematch with Dmitry Bivol. Canelo looks to put a stamp on this fight in the second half, and stops Ryder late. Canelo TKO-10

John Hansen (39-15)

Best wishes to the sporting society of Mexico as they celebrate their Caneloncenera. Saul delivers for the fans faster than George R.R. Martin does, at least.

As someone outside of the cultural moment, best I can say for this fight is, at least it’s a mandatory one. Canelo KO-8

Patrick Stumberg (42-12)

From the perspective of someone who desperately wishes there was, as Death put it ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE in the universe, I’m glad this is happening. Ryder should have been the one to welcome Canelo to the super middleweight division with the WBA title around his waist in 2020, so I won’t complain about the Rube Goldberg nonsense that carried him back to this opportunity.

From the perspective of someone who wants well-matched, competitive boxing, I’m less enthused. Trading with Canelo in the pocket only works for once-in-a-generation monsters like Gennadiy Golovkin and Ryder doesn’t exactly have a Plan B outside of turning it into an ugly, foul-filled mess that the hometown officials will never permit. Canelo looked shaky in the GGG threematch, but not anywhere near the level of washed he’d have to be to lose against a lesser specialist in his wheelhouse. He batters Ryder to a late stoppage. Canelo TKO-10

Canelo vs Ryder Odds

At the moment, DraftKings Sportsbook have Canelo the heavy betting favorite at -1800, with Ryder listed +900 as the underdog. During the week, these odds seem to be widening slightly instead of getting any more narrow.

Quick Picks!

Julio Cesar Martinez vs Ronal Batista

• Scott: Martinez TKO-4
• Wil: Martinez TKO-5
• John: Martinez TKO-6
• Patrick: Martinez TKO-7
• Odds: Martinez -1600, Batista +800 (DraftKings)

Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela vs Stevie Spark

• Scott: Valenzuela TKO-9
• Wil: Valenzuela UD-10
• John: Spark TKO-8
• Patrick: Spark UD-10
• Odds: Valenzuela -160, Spark +125 (DraftKings)

Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Ricards Bolotniks

• Scott: Gvozdyk UD-10
• Wil: Gvozdyk UD-10
• John: Gvozdyk KO-7
• Patrick: Gvozdyk UD-10