If there is one thing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has shown in his career is that he enjoys challenges. The Mexican will return to the ring on May 7 to face Dmitry Bivol for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Heavyweight Super Championship.
After winning the undisputed super middleweight title against Caleb Plant in November, he will challenge 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol, who is one of the most impressive fighters in the division.
Born in Kyrgyzstan and a Russian national, Bivol is 31 years old. He has been WBA champion since 2016, first as an interim until 2017 when he was elevated to champion. Since then he has made eight defenses and has dominated the division in a big way.
Bivol is a very methodical fighter, he doesn’t waste punches and has remarkable strength. He has power but knows how to manage the distances in the fights and is used to dominate as the rounds go by.
It will be a real challenge for Canelo to deal with Bivol’s height, reach and good footwork, but this is not the first time the Mexican has faced a bigger and stronger opponent. It is remembered his knockout win against Sergey Kovalev in 2019, a fight that took place in this category.
Canelo is living the best moment of his career and seeks to continue harvesting successes. It is a fight that the public has been expecting and it pits two legitimate champions, among the best pound-for-pound of the moment.
Canelo has a record of 57 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws and 39 knockouts, while Bivol is undefeated in 19 fights, 11 of them won by stoppage. .