By: Hans Themistode
Despite having dominated the light heavyweight division as the WBA champion in the better part for the past five years, Dmitry Bivol’s chances of beating Canelo Alvarez are seen as no chance.
In the minds of the betting world and as predicted by media pundits and fans, Alvarez will have his match against the Russian of Russian descent when they kick off on Saturday night, May 7, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Alvarez, 31, recently took his time aggregating every world title at £168. Following victories over Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, Alvarez became the first undisputed super-middleweight champion of all time.
With every 168-pound world title tucked away in his arms, Alvarez has decided against defending his undisputed throne, at least for now. Instead, Alvarez will try to set his flag at 175 pounds, a division he’s only competed in once.
In Alvarez’s light heavyweight debut, the headweight star fought Sergey Kovalev. Though he was forced to step on the water early, Alvarez eventually found his rhythm as he overcame Kovalev in the ensuing innings before scoring the stoppage-time winner on the 11th goal.
Playing against Anthony Yarde less than three months before the match against Alvarez, Kovalev has always attributed fatigue to a big part in his decisive loss.
Despite Kovalev’s comments, the former unified light heavyweight champion continued his career. Currently, the 39-year-old tennis player will make his debut in the cruiser class on May 14, against Tervel Pulev. However, while Kovalev has left the light heavyweight division behind, he still looks back in amazement.
Considering Bivol’s recent stint, picking up consecutive wins in 2021 after an idle 2020, Kovalev likes what he’s seeing from his countrymen. In fact, Kovalev is willing to go the distance to assist Bivol in his upcoming match.
“This match is very exciting for me,” Kovalev said in an interview with You Can’t Play Boxing. “I think Bivol has a big chance to get the win against Canelo. I believe he can get a win against Canelo.”
