One would assume that for a fighter who is 5-foot-8 and made his pro debut at 140 pounds, there is a limit to how high he can eventually grow in weight and still be successful. Fortunately for Canelo Alvarez, the pound-for-pound king, he doesn't believe in any restrictions.
Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) will battle WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, fresh off a 2021 fighter of the year campaign in which he became the first undisputed champion in super middleweight history (DAZN PPV, 8 p.m. ET — subscribe now).
Three years after knocking out Sergey Kovalev to win the WBC light heavyweight title before vacating it, Alvarez will face Bivol during the same week that his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, revealed that Alvarez might be willing to challenge for the unified heavyweight title if Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, was willing to accept a catchweight of 201 pounds.
The heavyweight twist comes only months after Alvarez was linked to a cruiserweight title fight with Ilunga Makabu.
On Wednesday, Alvarez told CBS Sports, "I appreciate this sort of challenge because it makes me feel alive." "That is why I continue to box because this type of challenge provides me with the adrenaline I require."
"I don't believe in limitations, therefore I'm always looking for more." You never know, right? [Are you going, heavyweight?] Maybe."
Before Alvarez can consider future offers at heavier weights, the four-division champion and pound-for-pound king must first deal with Bivol, a 31-year-old Russian native who was born in Kyrgyzstan and went on to have a successful amateur career.
Bivol is widely regarded as a safe fighter who outboxes opponents from a distance using his footwork, defense, and technique. But, if the battle demands it, can he dig in and throw caution to the wind against Alvarez? After witnessing Alvarez regularly gain weight and impressively carry his power with him, Bivol might have to think about it.
"Sometimes, if you're excellent at something and winning the battle is fine, you should do it again," Bivol told CBS Sports. "Sometimes it's not enough, and you have to come up with something fresh and demonstrate something from deep inside yourself in the ring." When you have to show more, certain opponents do it with you, and I believe Canelo is such a fight where I have to exhibit all of Dmitry Bivol.
"I can do it in sparring." I have sufficient power. I'm 175 pounds and believe that if I want to and believe in myself, I can achieve anything in the ring."
Alvarez compared Bivol's challenge to a combination of recent opponents, predicting a mix of Kovalev and Gennadiy Golovkin. However, it appears that Alvarez is unconcerned with Bivol's might. As a professional, the Mexican superstar has never been knocked out and has only been visibly harmed once, in a 2010 fight against Jose Miguel Cotto, Miguel Cotto's older brother.
"I don't recall ever getting really injured." Never in my life," Alvarez stated emphatically. "I felt it in my legs once when I fought Cotto's brother, but never in my mind [before or after]."
"At work, I have the ideal sparring partners for me, which is why I can adjust to that style against a tall opponent."
The Alvarez fight is the climax of a life-long quest for Bivol, who won his championship in 2017 before making seven defenses against the likes of Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal, and current WBO champion Joe Smith Jr.
"When I first became pro, I told my team that I wanted to battle the greatest and write my own history," Bivol stated. "Canelo is now the pound-for-pound champion, so I want to show myself what I'm capable of in the ring against the greatest. I'm hoping to do well in the ring."
Inside the T-Mobile Arena, three additional bouts round out the undercard. After Filip Hrgovic was forced to withdraw from his scheduled contest against Zhang, Zhilei Zhang and Scott Alexander are slated to fight at heavyweight. Montana Love will fight Gabriel Valenzuela at junior welterweight in his comeback fight. Shahram Giyasov and Christian Gomez, both welterweights, are prepared to fight it out.
Zhang, a 39-year-old Chinese native, is undefeated in his career, going 23-0-1 with 18 knockouts. He defeated Craig Lewis by TKO on the undercard of Canelo vs. Plant in November. Love, meanwhile, is undefeated as a junior welterweight, going 17-0-1 with nine knockouts. In 2021, he had four major victories, including three TKOs.
The most up-to-date information regarding the light heavyweight battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas can be found below. Plus, discover the newest fight card news and rumors, as well as Caesars Sportsbook's current odds, before making a prediction and choice for the main event.
Fight card, odds.
- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez -550 vs. Dmitry Bivol (c) +400, WBA light heavyweight championship.
- Zhilei Zhang -1500 vs. Scott Alexander +800, heavyweights.
- Montana Love -700 vs. Gabriel Valenzuela +500, junior welterweights.
- Shakhram Giyasov -340 vs. Christian Gomez +270, welterweights.
- Marc Castro -4000 vs. Pedro Vincente +1500, lightweights.
Prediction
Brian Campbell.
In his current run of courageously daring to be great, Alvarez may earn more credit for going out of his way to confront Bivol than he has received in any previous fight. For Alvarez, Bivol has a trap fight written all over him, and according to CompuBox, he is among the sport's leaders in jabs landed per round and fewest punches landed overall by his opponents.
Bivol is a great combination puncher who can play chess for 12 rounds, while not being a major knockout danger. He can mix in body blows and manage the terms of bouts from a distance better than anybody in the sport.
Bivol's main problem is that he's sometimes too willing to box at a slow pace and only takes risks when his opponents compel him to. As Alvarez tries to navigate distance and push his way inside, expect Bivol to dominate the early stages. The question will be if Alvarez can inflict bodily harm on Bivol and get close enough to break him down.
This is where the battle will become intriguing if Bivol is determined to make Alvarez pay for his advancement. After giving up so much height and reach, Alvarez will eventually find himself at a severe disadvantage against the proper opponent. One has to wonder whether this is the bout when Alvarez bites off a little more than he can chew against such a technically adept opponent.
When it comes to boxing versus Bivol, no one ever looks good. If Alvarez is unable to annoy him with his strength, he has the same chance of seeming ordinary and pedestrian if he gets caught in Bivol's web of consistent punches and slick counterblows.
All of the new discussion about cruiserweight and even heavyweight is ambitious, but cherry-picking only works when you target competitors who have major weaknesses in their game that the smaller fighter can exploit with advantages like poor. This isn't going to be one of those fights. Bivol through MD12 is your choice.
Luke Thomas.
You are right in all you mentioned regarding Bivol. He can range locate and pump it with considerable force and has a strong jab. It has the potential to be efficient, consistent, and versatile. However, he lacks originality in his approach. He's hardly a flamboyant puncher. He only has serious, well-established fundamentals. I think a guy like Canelo is one of the sharpest fighters we have. You marvel at his strength, you marvel at the fact that he's never been knocked down, but you overlook the fact that he's one of the smartest fighters we have. He's a true genius.
In this fight, I believe Alvarez will have to rally a bit since Bivol's jab might be a huge issue for him, as it has been for every Bivol opponent. I believe Alvarez will have to fight from a disadvantage, but with a fighter as creative, cunning, and quick as him, the fight will turn in the middle rounds. Canelo will win in the end, which is sort of strange to say. But I believe he will be given a clear decision. Alvarez via UD12 is my pick.
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