Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol Odds

Legacy-Making Test in Light Heavyweight Title Bout

It’s the week of Cinco De Mayo and you know that means, boxing fans: The return of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The current pound-for-pound king returns in a blockbuster light heavyweight match this Saturday and is a big favorite in the Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol odds. Moving up in weight yet again, Alvarez faces his toughest test since Gennadiy Golovkin as Bivol looks to hand the Mexican legend his second career pro loss.

Alvarez Biting Off More Than He Can Chew?

Canelo Alvarez is the best and most popular boxer today for a good reason: The man just wants to fight. Alvarez has continually tested himself against bigger opponents. Alvarez dusted Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to capture the WBO light heavyweight belt. And, after becoming the first Mexican to become an undisputed champion at 168 pounds, he is going back up for Alvarez vs Bivol.

“I love boxing,” Alvarez told TMZ, explaining why he is once again moving up a weight class. “I love a challenge. I love that adrenaline. I need to accomplish everything to be in the books of history of boxing. That’s why I’m here and I love what I do.”

No one disputes the fact that Alvarez is already an all-time great. At just 31 years old, Alvarez is very much in his prime and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. He made short work of Kovalev, but Bivol is a different animal. The Russian, unlike Kovalev, is in his prime and has not tasted defeat.

There is a decent chance that Alvarez could lose this one; hence why he’s opened at his smallest line as a favorite since he fought Daniel Jacobs in 2019 per the Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol odds.

Against Bivol, Alvarez is not only fighting a larger boxer but someone who is a master at controlling the distance. Alvarez has already shown some difficulty against middleweights who sported a good jab. Bivol can do that and more. Even if he lacks that “oomph” in his punches, the Russian can make Alvarez look unspectacular. But, as Alvarez has said repeatedly, he looks forward to the challenge.

Fight Information

  • Boxer records: Canelo Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) vs Dmitry Bivol (19-0-0, 11 KOs)
  • Date: Saturday, 10 p.m. ET
  • Television/live stream: DAZN
  • Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

Bivol Can Reach New Heights

Most casual fans may not have heard of Dmitry Bivol, but the Russian is the real deal. He captured the (interim) WBA light heavyweight title seven fights into his professional career in 2016 (he became official champion in 2017) and never looked back.

Bivol has turned away every opponent he has faced and while none are household names, the dominance he showed was astounding. The 31-year-old has rarely dropped rounds, shutting out his foes to the tune of 120-108 or 119-109 scorecards – a “boxing clinic” as they would say.

There is a caveat here that we can’t ignore: Bivol’s background. This is the first fight for Bivol since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a tragedy that he has lamented in interviews.

“It’s really sad for me,” he said at a San Diego press conference. “Every day I wake up and read the news and I hope it will stop. I have a lot of friends in Ukraine. I have a lot of friends in Russia. My family is in Russia.”

Bivol will not be allowed to walk into the ring with a Russian flag nor will the Russian national anthem be played. As with what other sports leagues have done, Bivol is essentially representing no country when he boxes Alvarez. The Las Vegas crowd may be overwhelmingly against him or siding with Alvarez, which could affect the judges.

Even with 11 knockouts on his resume, Bivol is a technician and not a finisher. He has not knocked out an opponent since 2018. He will look to outbox Alvarez over 12 rounds but with a pro-Alvarez crowd going against him, Bivol will have to thoroughly outclass his Mexican counterpart.

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