Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol ready for light heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez stood on the scale Friday outdoors T-Mobile Arena adorned by a wave of pink-white-and-inexperienced flags as mariachis blared in whole pressure.

For the first time in three many years, Alvarez is set to compete in Las Vegas on Cinco de Mayo Weekend — the date and internet site normally reserved for boxing’s prime star.

When Canelo defeated Daniel Jacobs below in May perhaps 2019, he retained his 160-pound championship by means of unanimous selection. 3 a long time later, he weighed 174.4 pounds, the second-heaviest of his vocation, forward of Saturday’s gentle heavyweight title obstacle vs. Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (8 p.m. ET, DAZN pay-for every-see).

Bivol, the champion and ESPN’s No. 2 light-weight heavyweight, weighed 174.6 lbs.

“My very best fat is 168 … but I sense definitely very good at 175, as well,” claimed Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 1 tremendous middleweight. “I come to feel solid.”

The ceremonial weigh-in on Friday afternoon was preceded by the morning’s formal weigh-in at the rear of closed doors.

Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) will endeavor to develop into a two-time mild heavyweight champion adhering to a November 2019 KO victory around Sergey Kovalev at 175 pounds. After that bout, Alvarez vacated his light-weight heavyweight title to marketing campaign at 168 kilos.

This time all-around, the 31-yr-aged Alvarez may possibly hold the belt for a whilst. But if he beats Bivol, 31, his upcoming combat is now established at 168 lbs .: a protection of his undisputed tremendous middleweight championship vs. Gennady Golovkin.

Golovkin and Alvarez have fulfilled two times currently at 160 kilos — a 2017 attract and a 2018 the vast majority-selection get for Alvarez.

Canelo, ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, has expressed fascination in a combat for the undisputed mild heavyweight championship in 2023. A matchup with the winner of the June 18 three-belt unification involving Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith would carry out the feat.

Alvarez will have to initial transform again Bivol (19-, 11 KOs), on the other hand, and he’s a 5-1 favorite to do so, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

“I assume I have sufficient experience and I have enough ability, speed, boxing high quality, to battle versus the very best,” Bivol reported. “… I will not imagine that I was prevented. Probably not just appealing fight to make because I am not identified yet. I know it can be small business. Fantastic. Okay. No issue. But now I acquired the fight.”