This weekend, Dmitry Bivol is waiting for the main test in his career.
In a crowded T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, he will face one of the greatest boxers of our time, Saul Alvarez, and will try to defend the WBA light heavyweight title for the ninth time.
And if the 31-year-old Russian succeeds, he will not only win the most significant victory, but also shock the world of sports, leaving him no chance of success and unanimously calling the opponent the clear favorite of the fight.
On the eve of the duel between Bivol and Alvarez, experts are rushing to share their opinion on its possible outcome.
And the vast majority, as expected, prefers the star Mexican.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson took his side, and the legendary Bernard Hopkins and interim lightweight champion Rolando Romero said that he would destroy the opponent.
And their confidence is easily explained.
During his career, Saul spent 60 fights and only once the referee did not raise his hand after the final gong.
In September 2013, Floyd Mayweather gave a young and promising athlete a real master class in the ring at that time, and although he won only by the decision of the majority of the judges, he had a tremendous advantage.
However, he did not break down and subsequently won 15 fights, failing to immediately deal with only Gennady Golovkin.
Their first meeting ended in a controversial draw, but Canelo was stronger in the rematch.
Almost four years have passed since then, but many still hope to see the completion of the trilogy.
And the boxers themselves are ready to finally satisfy the requests of the fans and hold one of the most anticipated fights of the 21st century.
Alvarez's third meeting with Golovkin is tentatively scheduled for September, but it will take place if Canelo cracks down on Bivol and wins the 79.3kg trophy for the second time in his career.
Perhaps it is the excessive desire to see another duel between Alvarez and Golovkin that makes many belittle the merits of Bivol.
Yes, he spent almost three times less fights (19-0) and cannot boast of victories over stars of the caliber of Billy Joe Saunders, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan.
But in the coming battle, he will pose a colossal threat, not only due to a solid advantage in anthropometry, but also due to his style.
Dimitri is a very smart, technical and fast boxer, and these are always difficult to deal with.
Even when it comes to Canelo.
Of course, in the context of Alvarez's campaign in light heavyweight, one cannot but recall his meeting with Sergey Kovalev.
Then the Mexican had only a few rounds to pick up the keys to the enemy and subsequently gradually dismantle him.
And although the Russian struck almost one and a half times more blows (209:147), it was he who ended up on the floor.
Excellent defense, coupled with powerful pressing and lightning-fast counterattacks, helped Canelo cope with a taller and longer-armed opponent and become a champion in four categories.
But you should not project a fight with Kovalev on a duel with Bivol.
Let the Russians have similar dimensions, but they are radically different in style.
Sergei always counted on a crushing right overhand and often became a hostage to his own power, starting a straightforward hunt for the opponent's head.
Dmitry, on the other hand, is a much more versatile and prudent boxer, who prefers to fire at the enemy from a distance and at the same time misses very little himself.
Suffice it to recall how confidently he dodged attacks in a duel with current WBO champion Joe Smith Jr.
On average, only one in ten attempts by an American hit the target (39 out of 395 thrown).
Surely Bivol will try to perform something similar in the battle with Alvarez.
Unlike his compatriot, he will not jump on the rampage and try to knock out an opponent, but will keep his distance and work with his signature jab, gradually scoring points.
Undoubtedly, Canelo will constantly push and try to pin the opponent in the corners, but he has something to answer for.
In terms of footwork, Dmitry has no equal in the light heavyweight division, perhaps this will be enough in the confrontation with the Mexican.
And while it is difficult to say whether Alvarez will be able to adapt to Bivol's style.
For example, the former absolute world champion in lightweight Teofimo Lopez, although he considers Canelo a favorite, does not exclude that Dmitry is able to present a sensation.
According to him, "uncomfortable" boxers are capable of creating serious problems for people like Saul.
As an example, he cited the battle between Mayweather and Marcos Maidana.
Then both fights lasted all the planned 12 rounds, and the superiority of the American on the judges' cards was not so serious.
And in this matter there is no reason to argue with Lopez.
If Bivol manages to control the distance, not get involved in dangerous exchanges and avoid the hardest blows to the body, then he may well spend the whole 36 minutes in the ring.
However, there is no certainty that even in this case the jury will side with the Russian.
There are several reasons for this: the popularity and superstar status of Canelo, the interests of promoters, as well as the difficult political situation in the world.
Even if the Russian himself manages to ignore this, there are no guarantees that the judges will follow his example and will not be a little more loyal to his counterpart.
As for a possible victory by knockout, such an outcome of the fight looks extremely unlikely.
During his career, Bivol won 11 times ahead of schedule, but the last time he laid his opponent on the floor was in March 2018 - Sullivan Barrera was unlucky.
In the next six battles, he prevailed exclusively by decision and is unlikely to try to change his signature style in the most important fight of his career.
The more adventurous Dmitry will act, the more chances Saul will have.
And this is clearly not included in the plans of the Russians.
Thus, we can partly agree with the opinion of bookmakers and experts.
Bivol really has fewer options in a duel with Alvarez, and therefore can be considered an underdog.
The Mexican can both finish the fight ahead of schedule, and work out all 12 rounds in the hope of the favor of the judges who sympathize with him.
But all this does not put an end to the prospects of the Russian.
The battle with one of the strongest boxers of our time from the very beginning did not promise to be an easy walk, but Dmitry himself perfectly understands who he is dealing with.
In addition, more recently, the boxing world witnessed a loud sensation when Oleksandr Usyk left no chance for Anthony Joshua.
And this despite the fact that many were skeptical about his decision to move to the most prestigious category, believing that not the most outstanding dimensions would not allow him to compete with the tops of the division.
However, he proved otherwise and won the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.
It is possible that Bivol will be able to repeat the success of the Ukrainian and create another sensation.