Canelo Alvarez returns on Saturday night in Las Vegas as he continues to move up in weight to dare to be great. The Mexican superstar is set to take on WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in his second sojourn to 175 pounds in pursuit of greatness. It all goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Alvarez continues to test himself against the top champions in weight classes well above his natural weight. He unified all four belts at 168 pounds last fall when he stopped Caleb Plant after also finishing two of the other three titleholders in the division. He also previously held titles at junior middleweight and middleweight.
"I like this kind of challenge [because] it makes me feel alive," Alvarez told CBS Sports this week. "That's why I am still in boxing because this kind of challenge makes me feel the adrenaline I need. For me, limits don't exist so I always want more. And you never know? [Fighting at heavyweight?] Maybe."
However, the Mexican superstar continues to teeter near the line of unthinkable as he enters this fight with significant disadvantages in both height and reach against Bivol. The Russian champion stands at 6-feet tall and is fairly big for the division. He's undefeated at 19-0 and has yet to truly be challenged in nine title defenses to date.
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"Sometimes, if you are doing good at something and this is fine to win the fight, you should do it again," Bivol told CBS Sports. "Sometimes, it's not enough and you have to create something new and have to take something from you deep and show it in the ring. Some opponents do it with you when you have to show more and I think Canelo is that fight where I have to show all of Dmitry Bivol.
"In sparring, I can do it. I have enough power. I am 175 pounds and I think I can do everything in the ring if I want and if I believe."
Three more bouts fill out the undercard inside the T-Mobile Arena. Zhilei Zhang and Scott Alexander are set for a heavyweight clash after Filip Hrgovic was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Zhang. Montana Love is set to return at junior welterweight when he takes on Gabriel Valenzuela. And welterweights Shakhram Giyasov and Christian Gomez are set to scrap it out.
Zhang, the 39-year-old native of China, is undefeated at 23-0-1 with 18 knockouts so far in his career. He's coming off a TKO of Craig Lewis last November on the undercard of Canelo vs. Plant. Love, meanwhile, is also undefeated at 17-0-1 as a junior welterweight with nine knockouts to his name. He picked up four massive wins in 2021 that included three TKOs.
Below is all the latest information for the light heavyweight showdown and how you can watch the action set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Plus, the latest fight card news and rumors with the latest odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
Canelo vs. Bivol fight card, odds
- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez -550 vs. Dmitry Bivol (c) +400, WBA light heavyweight championship
- Zhilei Zhang -1500 vs. Scott Alexander +800, heavyweights
- Montana Love -700 vs. Gabriel Valenzuela +500, junior welterweights
- Shakhram Giyasov -340 vs. Christian Gomez +270, welterweights
- Marc Castro -4000 vs. Pedro Vincente +1500, lightweights
Canelo vs. Bivol info
- Date: May 7
- Location: T-Mobile Arena -- Las Vegas
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
- How to watch: DAZN PPV (subscribe now) | Price: $59.99
Canelo vs. Bivol countdown
- Campbell: Fight preview and prediction for Las Vegas
- Campbell: Alvarez cannot overlook the danger of Bivol and light heavyweight
Who wins Canelo vs. Bivol? And which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise's best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS combat sports specialist who crushed his boxing picks in 2021, and find out.
