GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AFP) — Undisputed super middleweight boxing king Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will bid to make a triumphant return to Mexican soil on Saturday when he faces British challenger John Ryder in his hometown of Guadalajara.

An estimated crowd of 55,000 is expected to pack the Akron Stadium for an open-air championship bout that is boxing icon Alvarez's first fight in Mexico in nearly 12 years.

Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 knockouts) is the overwhelming favorite to retain his World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization belts against mandatory challenger Ryder (32-5, 18 knockouts) in a fight scheduled to coincide with Mexico's Cinco de Mayo national holiday weekend.

The 32-year-old ringmaster is reveling in the opportunity to fight before fans in Guadalajara, where as a child he sold ice cream out of a van alongside his father before going on to become a boxing superstar.

"I feel very proud and happy to bring this fight to Guadalajara and give the people some of the experience I have in other places as the best in the world," Alvarez told reporters at a recent training camp in San Diego.

"It's the perfect time. A long time ago I wanted to fight in Guadalajara, but I think this is the perfect moment, the perfect fight to bring to Guadalajara."

Alvarez, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, heads into the bout after a mixed 2022.