The stage is set for a monumental battle in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, on Saturday.
Two warriors of boxing, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev, lock horns for the WBO light-heavyweight world title belt, and a chance for the former to become a four-weight world champion.
Our boxing expert offers his thoughts and tips for the fight below – find all available boxing odds with Grosvenor Sport.
And still?
It’s difficult to look past Canelo in this fight, but a debut at light-heavyweight presents weight cutting problems that can prove a factor in the outcome.
The Russian Kovalev is a seasoned light-heavyweight fighter, with 38 bouts in his favoured division. His size can test Canelo, but does he have enough in the tank to take the relentless Mexican the distance?
Kovalev will need to use his jab to keep Canelo at bay if he has any chance of winning this fight, but a well-executed plan could see the fight head to a decision, and you can get Kovalev to win by decision or technical decision at 8/1.
Legend status beckons for Canelo
Four-weight world champions from Mexico? There are only three: Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Jorge Arce.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez can join that illustrious list on Saturday evening, and he would become just the 19th fighter in history to do so.
Although Kovalev boasts a significant height advantage over Canelo, the lineal middleweight world champion is known for his suffocating body blows, and Kovalev will need to be wary of giving away any gaps for Canelo to exploit on the inside.
The Mexican’s style is a nightmare for Kovalev, who will look to keep his opponent at range, but Canelo will not be phased by walking forward while the fight lasts, and we make him a strong favourite at 1/ 4 to win and make history on Saturday.
Tip of the day? I expect the two fighters to come out and download data on one another for the first two rounds before the real shots start to fly in from the third round onwards. Unfortunately for the Russian, I think Canelo will catch Kovalev between the fourth and sixth rounds to find a stoppage, which you can get at 8/1 with Grosvenorsport.com.
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