Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez says he 'feels alive' ahead of Dmitry Bivol showdown
- Chris Brannan
- 3 May 2022
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez makes his return to the ring for Cinco De Mayo weekend, six months after dispatching of Caleb Plant for the undisputed super middleweight crown.
The current Pound for Pound number one makes his return to the light heavyweight division for the first time since his win over Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
The Mexican knocked the Russian into the ropes with a crushing right hand to snare away his WBO title.
Canelo has gone on to beat world class operators such as Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant.
He is the first fighter to become undisputed champion at super middleweight and he was named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year in 2021 for his accomplishment.
The next in line for a chance to attempt to dethrone the Mexican is the WBA 175lbs champion Dmitry Bivol.
With a record of 19-0, the 31-year-old Russian becomes the fourth undefeated fighter Canelo has fought in his previous five fights.
However, many people see Bivol to be the highest calibre opponent since Gennadiy Golovkin, but the four-weight world champion is still ready and raring for the challenge ahead of him.
"I don't care, I like challenges, it makes me feel alive. Challenges for me are everything in my life. I like a good challenge and now I have a very good fighter in front of me and I'm excited for this fight.
"Bivol is a really tough fighter and it's going to be a really good fight for Cinco de Mayo weekend with my people in Las Vegas - Mexican weekend. I'm really excited and I'm going to prepare really well because this fight is going to be really hard."
𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝔂 #CaneloBivol pic.twitter.com/Fq2tjqYebY
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 2, 2022
The fight with Bivol has more than just the WBA world title on the line. A loss for Canelo could also halt any chance of a trilogy battle with Golovkin for September.
Regardless of the result the fans in the T-Mobile arena, Las Vegas are in for a top draw fight involving a mixture of Canelo's quality footwork and educated pressure matched with Bivol's fantastic jab along with his damaging 1-2s.
Now just days away, Canelo is also anticipating that his 61st professional bout will be a fan favourite.
"When I work hard and do my best in the ring, I make a good fight for the fans. Thank you everybody and I'll see you on May 7."
