Alvarez has only fought one time at light heavyweight, a November 2019 bout with Sergey Kovalev where Alvarez scored one of the biggest knockouts of his career. He has since returned to super middleweight to unify the divisions four world titles. In Bivol, he faces a fighter with an undefeated record and a high amount of technical skills.
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
The added heavyweight wrinkle comes just months after Alvarez was also rumored to be interested in challenging cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu.
“I like this kind of challenge [because] it makes me feel alive,” Alvarez told CBS Sports on Wednesday. “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.”
Before Alvarez can entertain any future offers at even larger weights, the four-division champion and pound-for-pound king must first deal with the talented Bivol, a 31-year-old native of Russia who was born in Kyrgyzstan and went on to enjoy a decorated amateur career.
Bivol is often looked at as a safe fighter who relies on his footwork, defense and technique to outbox opponents from distance. But can he dig in and throw caution to the wind against Alvarez
if the fight calls for it? It’s a proposition Bivol might need to consider after seeing Alvarez consistently move up in weight and incredibly carry his power up with him.
“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
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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.”
Alvarez compared the challenge of Bivol to a combined pair of recent opponents, saying he expects a mixture of Kovalev and Gennadiy Golovkin. But it seems Alvarez is anything but worried about the power Bivol possesses.
The Mexican superstar has never been down as a pro and has only been visibly hurt once in a 2010 fight against Jose Miguel Cotto, the older brother of future Alvarez foe Miguel Cotto.
