Former WBA super middleweight champion George Groves, who retired from the sport in 2019, believes John Ryder should not be overlooked in Saturday's big task against Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Canelo will defend his WBO, IBF, WBC, WBA super middleweight belts against Ryder, with a crowd of 50,000 Mexican supporters in Akron Stadium.

Groves wonders when, or if, Canelo's hunger will eventually begin to break - after making hundreds of millions in the last 10 years - and taking part in numerous high profile events.

“It does make you wonder when, or if maybe, it’s going to catch up with Canelo. All the big fights and the big occasions, the money, the wealth and the fame that he’s accumulated… is the hunger and the desire going to still be there to the same extent? We’ll find out," Groves said to Legal Sports Books.

Groves is giving Ryder a shot at pulling off the upset.

He views constant activity as the perfect formula for Ryder to upset the odds against Canelo.

“If Ryder is to win this fight he’s going to need a high output and a big volume of punches. He’s going to have to try and dominate the rounds. You’re then thinking if he can’t stop Alvarez, getting a points decision in Mexico is going to be tough and he won’t want to leave it too close. I think the game plan from John Ryder needs to be; come out, start fast, be aggressive and try to box off that front foot and back Alvarez up," Groves said.

"In many ways both their styles match and don’t necessarily complement each other. So Ryder needs to close that distance like he did with Callum Smith and sit in the pocket and trade and try and do some damage downstairs, whack the arms, whack the body and then finish the exchanges and make sure he’s the last man to throw a punch at the end of each combination to catch the eyes of the judges.”

Over the years, Canelo has beaten several British boxers - including Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Amir Khan, Liam Smith, Ryan Rhodes, Rocky Fielding and Matthew Hatton.

Groves is backing Ryder to become Canelo's toughest British opponent.

“Ryder is a good athlete, he’s very strong and he converts that strength into very decent punch power and he’s neat and tidy. His footwork is good and he can close the distance down very quickly. With the power in his legs he can spring into range very rapidly and let his hands go. I predict it to be a better fight than any of Alvarez’s previous fights against British opponents. That includes Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith. Before that you’re talking about Ryan Rhodes and Matthew Hatton. Amir Khan was giving away way too much weight," Groves said.