Rhodes v Alvarez June 18th?

[Bennyblanco]

So says sky sports boxing

Thoughts please

[damianhucker1]

be a good fight but cant see rhodes winning that one although i dont think its a certainty

[cakes]

Rhodes all the way said it for last 8 months just hope it really comes off. This could be a massive year for Rhodes , he really deserves this shot, come on Rhodesy

[nelsoninfour]

Ryan will bang him. If hatton can take his so called power then Ryan can.
Ryan fought for world title at middle weight.
Cant wait for the bookies to pay for my summer of fun.

[hitman_hatton1]

alvarez is too good for him.

hope the payday is good for rhodes though.

been a bit inactive coming into this.

[wesley05]

Can't wait for this its been a long time comin Ryan no doubt can do this late stoppage ....... AND THE NEW !!!!!!!!!!!

[alexpaterson]

Alvarez is too good IMO he should get him out of their late. But hope I'm wrong and Rhodes brings hope another world title to Britian

[jameswilson]

I hope Rhodes can do it. I remember thinking Jamie Moore was gonna smash him to pieces as he was ripping Europe to bits at the time but Rhodes weathered the storm and worked effectively and was just plain awkward. Hopefully his style can do Alvarez as he deserves it.

[Yes We Can]

I'm not going to rule Rhodes out completely....

but the more i think about it, the more i feel that the chance to take Alvarez out would have been in his last fight. Another few months developement and growth will do the mexican good.

[Hagler2002]

Alvarez stood in front of Hatton because he knew fine well he could get away with it, I'm sure he'll show a Rhodes a lot more respect.

If I was a betting man I'd have a punt on Alvarez to win via decision but with it been in Mexico I think I'll leave it alone.

[big lennox]

I fancy Ryan to win this one. He is a class act and will know too much for Alvarez, in my humble opinion.Really pleased with this bit of news!!

[Counter-puncher]

fingers crossed. come on Ryan. I would absolutely love it if he sparked the mexican.

[earsjohn]

Good to see Rhodes given a chance - there are plenty of guys out there who would have been easier options for Canelo and Golden Boy, but giving Rhodes his shot so soon after securing the belt deserves a little bit of credit.

[deadpan]

Bravery from Ryan, but Alvarez in 5.

[Deserter]

I think Rhodes can do this, but accept my bias may be influencing me somewhat.

[Counter-puncher]

I think Rhodes can do this, but accept my bias may be influencing me somewhat.

ha, same here

[Final round]

An excellent fight I bet Golden Boy would love to swerve it.
Alvarez's defence is offence Rhodes will go in there and ask some serious questions of his chin vice a versa I know but if Matt Hatton bamboozled him with awkwardness so well then Rhodes should capitalise.

I know one thing Hatton and Rhodes are bringing respect back to these shores which is great for the game.

[MightyWarrior]

Very interesting fight, Ryan has the guile to makes things difficult for Alvarez, and also possibly the punch to get his respect and maybe surprise him. Can his nerve hold in Mexico I wonder ? For the visitor, it's a tough place to try and win a title in, that's for sure. Though the locals will warm to him a bit, if he makes sure they know he's not a fan of the USA - they will just love to hear that, coming from an English man.

But of course you have to fancy the Mexican to win this one. And I don't think Golden Boy are being particularly brave about this defence - the opposite in fact. They will barely have heard of Rhodes, and see his record and assume he's a bit chinny, and also around 10 years past his best. In other words, another easy fight for their man.

[bennie]

Sheffield's Ryan Rhodes has been made mandatory challenger to new WBC light-middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez of Mexico and already there is talk of the fight happening in June in dusty old Guadalajara, which happens to be the backyard of the champion's (ouch!).
Southpaw Rhodes, 34, is overdue his shot after smashing his way to the European light-middleweight title with a seven-round stoppage of Salford's established Jamie Moore in Bolton in October 2009 but has remained on the sidelines ever since and sat and watched as Manchester welterweight Matthew Hatton piled on the pounds and went in with Alvarez for the vacant WBC title earlier this month in California.
The burly Alvarez, predictably, proved too strong for Hatton on the way to a unanimous decision but Rhodes is no Hatton, a neat boxer without a big punch: Rhodes is quick, cute, heavy handed, and vastly experienced, having turned pro in February 1995 (when Alvarez was five) and having never lost at light-middleweight, flirting with the middleweight division for his only defeats in a record of 45-4 (31). Make no mistake about it, Rhodes is bigger and better than Hatton.
Alvarez, a freckled redhead, looks like an Irishman but fights like a Mexican and attracts big support and big promotional backing. His record is a bolstered 36-0-1 (26) but he obviously carries a whacks and knows how to box and will be hard to budge in the altitude of Mexico in what amounts to something of a homecoming, his first world title defence. Incredibly, Alvarez is still only 20 so his engine is in fine working condition. The draw on his record, incidentally, came in a four-rounder in just his fifth pro outing in 2006.
I can see Rhodes having his moments in this one in what could could prove a desperately close encounter but Alvarez sets a hot pace in a hot country and you have to favour him to snatch a decision, possibly a controversial decision. It looks like Rhodes needs a knockout to take the belt out of there.

[deadpan]

Ok Alvarez didn't stop Hatton. But he stopped Baldomir.

Matthews destroyed Rhodes and Lee Blundell stopped him in 3.

Rhodes is definitely getting stopped.

[big lennox]

Ok Alvarez didn't stop Hatton. But he stopped Baldomir.

Matthews destroyed Rhodes and Lee Blundell stopped him in 3.

Rhodes is definitely getting stopped.

Mathews weighed about 20lbs heavier than Ryan on the night and Blundell is a bigger man as well and a deceptively hard hitter + Ryan really wasn't fit for that fight or alive to it (distracted).As a result he was tired early doors, sloppy with his chin sky high and took the piunches flush. He is a far better boxer today; much more organised, with a tighter defense, more patient and fitter, and his durability has improved because of this. He took Lockets bombs, and Moores punches well enough, which is not to be sniffed at.

[Pugilist-specialist]

Ok Alvarez didn't stop Hatton. But he stopped Baldomir.

Matthews destroyed Rhodes and Lee Blundell stopped him in 3.

Rhodes is definitely getting stopped.

Mathews weighed about 20lbs heavier than Ryan on the night

About one and a half stone heavier ?

Did they have a check-weigh before the fight ?

[big lennox]

Ok Alvarez didn't stop Hatton. But he stopped Baldomir.

Matthews destroyed Rhodes and Lee Blundell stopped him in 3.

Rhodes is definitely getting stopped.

Mathews weighed about 20lbs heavier than Ryan on the night

About one and a half stone heavier ?

Did they have a check-weigh before the fight ?

I presume so.This is the information I was given.He certainly looked a lot bigger on the night.

I should point out that I was not suggesting that Ryan boxed badly against Blundell because of where he was boxing at the time, but because he appeared to me to be very distracted in the build up to that fight -a million miles away, and was not himself at all.

I am thrilled for him though, and feel he has earnt the opportunity.

[orbtastic]

Yeah, Matthews was a big drainer. He was huge come fight night. He was a big puncher too, and aggressive with it. Had Rhodes been able to weather that early storm, he could have probably stopped Matthews late as he was a bit chinny and usually crumbled under sustained pressure.

[grannyman]

I honestly think rhodes' wise old head can win this, Alvarez showed plenty of 'Still learning' signs against Hatton.