Canelo vs Bivol – Who wins?
Some of the biggest names in boxing give their predictions for this weekend's Vegas fight, where Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KO) challenges WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11KO) at the T-Mobile Arena.
After becoming undisputed at super-middleweight, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez now has his sights set on acheiving the same feat at light-heavyweight, to further secure his legacy.
This quest starts Saturday night, live on DAZN, when Canelo tackles Bivol in a bid to become a two-time light-heavyweight champion.
Canelo is currently billed as the favourite going into the contest, but at the age of 31, Bivol is at his peak and widely considered to be one of the world's best at light-heavyweight, so it's all to play for, but what do boxing professionals think about it?
Rick Ramos, Boxing trainer & manager
"I think Canelo gets rocked at some point, but comes back to stop Bivol."
Peter Sims, Boxing trainer
"What a great fight this could be? Or could not be…
Since my fighter Craig Richards fought Bivol, in a fight that was supposed to be in many eyes a mismatch, which turned out to be a very close contest, the boxing public seem to have disregarded Bivol as a great fighter instead of Richards being a force,
Bivol is strong, he is fast, and a great counter puncher; if anything those skills could see him beat Canelo… however my prediction is that Canelo wins as he is however the GOAT at the moment.
I think it will go to the scorecards with a wide points to Canelo."
Kieran Gething, Welsh Area champion
"I’d love to see it very competitive right through, but I see a tough start for Canelo and then a heavy finish!"
Matt Marsh, Former British champion
"I think it will be a good fight, but Canelo will be getting better as the rounds go on and I see Canelo stopping Bivol in the eighth round."
Tim Rickson, BBN Editor
"Whilst I think Dmitry Bivol is a masterful boxer, I can't see many possible ways for him to win this fight. His best chance is most likely by taking it to points, but he will never get a decision in Las Vegas, just ask Gennadiy Golovkin.
He possesses great footwork, one of the best in the sport, and is brilliant at stepping into that power jab and followinng up with speedy, powerful combinations. He is a tactician and intelligent. His high guard will leave him susceptible to Canelo's body attacks, but he will be relying on his feet to get him into range and out of trouble.
If Bivol can keep Canelo off-rhythm for most of the fight, while scoring with his long jab, then he could do a good job of swinging the rounds his way.
At the same time, Canelo and Eddy always have a plan, which the Mexican star can always follow to the letter. His patience and belief in the tactics is astounding. He knows what to do and when to do it. I'm quite sure he will be sizing up, studyng, and looking to counter the frequent jabs that will come his way. I'm also sure he is going to target the body of Bivol often.
Despite my utmost respect and admiration for Bivol, I do believe Canelo stops him late.
Of course, I believe that Bivol will present a lot of problems and likely to outbox Canelo for a lot of the rounds. I think he could get the better of Canelo early, but the second half of the fight will be when Alvarez comes into his own and turns up the heat. You just can't bet against him."
Ryan Walsh, Former British Champion
"Canelo will win. Predicting how is very difficult because this man is a special talent in the prime of his life. He’s P4P for good reason. A big factor in this fight will be how Bivol elects to try and win. I foresee a tight, technical affair until Canelo breaks through, I suspect sometime past the halfway mark. The KO between 8-10 to add another belt and undefeated scalp to his already illustrious resume."
Kieran Smith, Give Me Sport
"Although Bivol has proven himself as an excellent boxer, the boxing icon that is Canelo Alvarez is just far too good for him.
This will certainly be a tough test for Alvarez and a necessary test if he wants to fight Gennady Golovkin, he first needs to defeat Bivol.
We think he’ll do this pretty comfortably. Bivol likes to control and dominate the ring but this won’t be possible against the highly skilled Mexican. Bivol may emerge victorious in a few rounds, but after the halfway stage we really think we’ll see Alvarez come into his own.
In the later rounds, Bivol will tire and that’s where we think Alvarez will pounce and subsequently knock him out."
Shakur Stevenson, Unified super-featherweight champion
"It’s going to take a special talent to beat Canelo, but Bivol might cause Canelo a lot of problems too.
"He’s got a good boxing IQ, he might cause Canelo problems, but Canelo might get to his body and break him down."
Arijan Goricki, Featherweight prospect
"I think that Canelo and his team underestimate Bivol. I think that Bivol win the fight but judges will not give win to him."
Daniel Smith, BBN Writer
"Throughout boxing’s history, there’s been plenty of occasions where an underdog has won the fight but not necessarily beaten the champion. Bivol needs to take this win from Alvarez, and take it in brutal, emphatic fashion. Therefore, unless he can summon the knockout or stoppage over his man, I cannot envision any of the judges, let alone all three, gifting the Russian with a points victory over the sport’s global darling.
For me, it’s a Canelo knockout or unanimous decision."
Claressa Shields, Two-weight undisputed champion
"I don’t think that Canelo can be beat by the guys he’s being matched up against.
"I believe that Canelo will beat anybody put in front of him unless it’s Demetrius Andrade or Jermall Charlo."
Shane Mosley Jr, Super-middleweight prospect
"I agree that Bivol has a great boxing ability, great strength, he possesses a lot of skill, but I just don’t think that’s enough for Canelo.
"Yes, it’s at 175 and he’s a little bit heavier, he’s been in there with 'Krusher' [Sergey Kovalev] before, he’s been in there with guys that can punch like nobody’s business.
"It’s hard to go against Canelo."
Sergio Michel, Musician & boxing superfan
"Canelo staying in the higher divisions and even threatening to go up to Heavyweight possibly one day to fight Usyk is admirable. The guy has lofty aspirations and tends to hit his goals. However, if this fight is close, as many agree it will be, the possibility of another sour disappointment via skewed judging will most likely hand the victory to Canelo. Only shot Bivol has is via knockout; otherwise, Canelo by Unanimous Robbery."
Anish Parekh, BBN Writer
"This is a great matchup and Canelo's first big test at light-heavyweight.
It's strange how people are overlooking Bivol as he is a serious threat. He's big, robust, has great movement and has shown to put some smart combinations together. His biggest asset is likely to be his jab, which he is highly accurate with.
Expect Bivol to be busy with the jab early and frustrate the Mexican. However, Canelo will be purposely patient and look to time Bivol with powerful body blows, that will make him increasingly tentative and hesitant to plant his feet and throw his own power shots.
Bivol's lack of big fight experience is similar to Canelo's most recent opponents making him less battle hardened and under-exposed to difficult situations. He also isn't the most adaptable and will struggle to find his moments through the back end of the fight as Canelo begins to close the gap and land heavy shots to the head and body, winning what I think will be a close and competitive unanimous decision."
John J. Raspanti, Writer atwww.maxboxing.com
"Dmitry Bivol is a solid fighter. He'll bring a height and reach advantage into the ring against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night.
I expect his jab to be on point. He'll compete, but it won't be enough.
Alvarez will work the body and be the aggressor. He'll up the ante late and win the bout by unanimous decision."
Uros Djikanovic, Boxing manager & advisor
"In my opinion this fight can go either way. It's hard to pick against Canelo. Bivol is tough and talented fighter. If he can keep Canelo at distance he has a chance. It's easier said than done because Canelo is very talented in closing the distance. Bivol punches hard and I don't think he will back down easily. I'm going with the underdog in this fight and I see Bivol wining this fight by split decision."
Tino Bellot, Three-weight National amateur champion
"I like both fighters and I think it'll be a lot closer than people think.
Bivol's footwork and hand speed will give Canelo trouble throughout the fight, but I think Canelo will deliver the more punishing blows.
I see it going to the the score cards and Canelo getting a controversial split decision win."
Betting Odds (Betway Sports)
Canelo: 2/11
Bivol: 20/1
Draw: 15/4
How to watch Saul Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol in the UK
HÖRFA are proud sponsors of British Boxing News