Las Vegas (USA) (AFP)
"The story is the only thing that remains in boxing": the Mexican "Canelo" Alvarez, determined to enter on the ground, has risen directly from two categories, means to light heavyweight, to try to to win the WBO title to Russia's Sergey Kovalev on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The fight of the year? Many boxing fans think so, despite the much-anticipated heavyweight rematch between Deonthay Wilder and Luis Ortiz on 23 November, also at "Sin City".
This "Alvarez vs. Kovalev", which opposes the puncher of Guadalajara to the "grinder" of Kopeysk, is indeed exciting in more ways than one. Firstly because "Canelo" made the risky bet of riding not one but two divisions, to try to hang a belt in a fourth category of different weight after having been welterweight champion, medium and super -means.
Seeing the boxers win in the category just above is quite common and as such, even if he succeeds, the Mexican will still be far from his former promoter, the American Oscar De La Hoya, or Filipino Manny Pacquaio, world champions in six categories.
But a handful are the ones who did it by skipping a step. The most recent is Pacquaio, then WBC lightweight champion, who beat De La Hoya eight times in an untitled welterweight bout in 2008.
"The legacy I want to leave, for me it's the most important," Alvarez told reporters this week. At 29, he has already delivered 55 fights (52 wins, 35 by KO, one defeat, two draws) during a professional career started at 15 years.
- Difference in size and length -
"This fight is the most motivating of all." Kovalev is very experienced and he is the strongest boxer of all I have ever faced, he will use his size and reach to try to beat me. " he affirmed.
For the one who still holds the WBA and WBC middleweight titles, and WBC super middleweight, the challenge is there: to fill the ten centimeters he counts less than his opponent. Especially as one of its strengths is the work on the body.
"It's still my strategy, even if he's not going to let me in. But I'm going to attack him, nothing has ever intimidated me," said Canelo.
In front of him, however, he will have a boxer whose speed-power ratio makes him one of the most dangerous of the category and who remains on a victorious defense of his WBO belt against the British Anthony Yarde, beaten by KO in the 11th round.
Aged 36, Kovalev has 34 wins including 29 by KO, against three defeats and a draw. And he too sees this fight "as the biggest" of his career.
"I've never been in this situation where I have to face a middleweight opponent, I'm not going to make a prediction, but I'm going to do everything to defend my title, if I lose, I lose more than him. will lose if I beat him. + Canelo + tries to get into the story, I want mine to go on, "he summed up this week.
© 2019 AFP