One of the biggest boxing fights this year will take place at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Canelo Alvarez will try to defeat Sergey Kovalev and become one of the handfuls of boxers who won titles in four different divisions. If he does that, he will no doubt be the best fighter in the world. But be sure that Kovalev, who will defend his light heavyweight title for the fourth time, has different plans. The Russian is one of the most underrated boxers at the moment, and despite his excellent results, he isn’t getting the amount of respect deserved.
Prediction
Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) comes into this match as the favorite. He is currently the biggest star in boxing and the natural successor of Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather when talking about the hype and money-making business. He went up two weight classes to challenge Kovalev, and is fighting for the first time as a light heavyweight. We have to say that this is unknown territory for the Mexican, yet, he feels very comfortable and confident that Kovalev can’t hurt him. Canelo is younger and a bit quicker than the Russian, and also he will have a slight help from the audience in Las Vegas, where the majority of spectators are expected to be Mexicans. After defeating Golovkin in September 2018 via split decision, Alvarez smashed Rocky Fielding by a TKO in the 3rd round, and recently defeated Daniel Jacobs via unanimous decision, retaining WBA, WBC middleweight titles and winning the IBF middleweight belt.a
Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) had a big challenge in Anthony Yarde past August. The champ was on the verge of losing this fight, but he miraculously escaped a knockout and retained his title. He opened up the Brit with massive body shots, which eventually created space for his disastrous punches which knocked out Yarde. Prior to that fight, Kovalev defeated Eleider Alvarez, who knocked him in August 2018, stripping him of his titles. In the rematch, Kovalev beat the Colombian via unanimous decision and got back his crown. Unlike his rival in this match, the Russian is bigger and more powerful, but is also older than Alvarez. We’ve seen Kovalev pretty tired against Yarde in few rounds, and that is that frightens all of his fans. Do know that this is the highlight of his career, meaning that his motive is at the peak, while Alvarez sees this as just one of his many fights.
Predictions
The Mexican is a massive favorite. There isn’t a bookie in the world that gives Kovalev an edge in this clash. Many predict that his quickness and inside work will eventually break the champion before the end of the fight. But, also, many do forget that Kovalev has one of the best jabs in boxing and that he might use that to keep the feisty Canelo on distance. Also, we are still not aware of Alvarez’s potential in this weight class, and whether his chin can absorb punches from fighters like Kovalev. And to remind you, the Russian nickname is Krusher. In spit of all other opinions, we will go for an upset here. We got it right in Maia vs. Askren clash, and hope to do the same now. Alvarez has the hype surrounding him and also covering up all of his vulnerabilities, while Kovalev goes below the radar. Odds at BetXChange for our choice are super – 3.0.
