Can Canelo Alvarez Continue To Dominate Against Talented Bivol?
Canelo Alvarez has enjoyed a dominant record in the middleweight class over the last 10 years of his career. Alvarez has only been bested by Floyd Mayweather Jr during his imperious run, although he will face a challenge at the hands of Dmitry Bivol. The two are scheduled to fight for the WBA (Super) light-heavyweight title with the Russian putting his belt on the line after an unbeaten start to his career.
The 31-year-old will be looking to make a splash on the major stage after building his reputation gradually through the ranks since 2014. His record speaks for itself, but whether Bivol will be ready to raise the level of his game against Alvarez remains to be seen. Alvarez is the favorite in the boxing betting odds for the fight at -400 given his reputation in the sport, and there is confidence from the bookies that he should be able to ease past the Russian. You can find a price of +300 to back Bivol, which suggests that he is not a rank outsider for the bout in the boxing predictions, but will need a lot to land in his favor against Alvarez.
Bivol has not overwhelmed his opponents in his last six bouts, all of which have been decided by points decisions, including his last outing against Salamov. However, he has displayed the stamina and resolve to edge over the line and boasts a formidable jab that could cause significant issues for Alvarez if he can maintain it throughout the fight. The Russian will also carry the advantage of being familiar with the weight, knowing when and how he can exploit potential weaknesses in the bout. As each of his last six bouts has gone the distance and won all of them, the 31-year-old should have no fear about lasting 12 rounds.
Alvarez has the challenge of taking a step up in weight from his last bout against Caleb Plant, where he managed to knock out the American in the 11th round. It took time for Alvarez to break down the defenses of Plant, but once he found his range, he could power his way over the line and the points were in his favor anyway before the American hit the mat. Alvarez last made a significant leap up in weight when he faced off against Sergey Kovalev, moving up to 175lbs for the bout. He faces a similar challenge once more in his fight against Bivol, who will be more than ready to enter his comfort zone.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev is officially set for Nov. 2 at MGM Grand
Superfight — pic.twitter.com/kQbeQjrR38
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2019
It will be a tactical contest that Alvarez cannot afford to take lightly as he found against Kovalev. The reach and jab of Kovalev caused him issues over the first 10 rounds of the bout, and there was little to separate the two men. Eventually, Alvarez found a weakness in the Russian’s armor and used his stamina to work him over in the 11th round before earning the knockout win. Alvarez will have to deploy the same tactics to continue his outstanding run and add the WBA (Super) light-heavyweight title to his collection.
Regardless of who wins, it’s set to be an exciting fight as Alvarez once again takes on an exciting fighter looking to put his run to an end. The fight is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 7th May and plenty of boxing fans will be waiting with bated breath for this huge fight.
