Here are some quotes from Canelo Alvarez and Sergey ‘Krusher’ Kovalev on their November 2 WBO light heavyweight world title fight in Las Vegas.
Canelo Alvarez: “The second phase of my career is continuing just as we had planned, and that’s why we are continuing to make great fights to enter into the history books of boxing. That’s also why I’ve decided to jump two weight classes against one of the most feared champions of recent years. Kovalev is a dangerous puncher, and he’s naturally the bigger man, but that’s the kind of challenges and risks that I like to face.”
Sergey Kovalev: “In order to be the best you have to beat the best. I have always tried to fight the toughest opponents in my division, but many have ducked me throughout my career. Canelo wanted to fight me; to step up to higher weight and challenge for my belt. I will be ready on November 2nd.”
Fixed. Oscars a fraud liar and criminal. Canelo is a good fighter but hes more just a puppet in oscars show
Canelo could fight GGG, Charlo, Ward, and Kovalev in the same night and you would still talk down on him. Let the hatred go man this dude has only been dominated by one fighter and that fighter is an all time great. Get over yourself man Kovalev is extremely dangerous still and just beat a young stud who was bigger than him.
This is far from an unbiased comment :))
Canelo lost at least two or three fights, not just one but he still got the W because of corrupt judges. That’s one of the main reasons so many fans despise Canelo, and rightfully so.
Canelo is a good and not a great boxer, but the problem his opponents face is that they are not just fighting him but an entire corrupt boxing industry backing him.
The first GGG fight was 100% fixed. How else do you explain Adalaide Byrd’s criminal score card?
Canelo was on Clenbuterol for a long time but got caught “only” twice. Maybe that’s another reason why many fans don’t buy into his “greatness”.
All the catch weight fights were done for one reason: to generate additional advantage for Canelo. Maybe that’s yet another reason why so many fans dislike him.
And no, he couldn’t fight any two of the above named fighters in the same night. He fought already against one of them twice and he lost both fights.
Dear Sergei, it’s over, nobody beats Father Time.
You’re 25% of what you once were, Canelos team would never have made the fight unless they were absolutely convinced you posed no threat to their cash cow.
Based on you’re last performances you’ve maybe 6 or 10 good rounds left in you.
Go out as a champ and not a chump!
No doubt you’ve a chance but it’s slim and unlikely.
Retire as you lived……a champion! And not as a hand picked punching bag set up to get knocked out.
Every great champion has one more great fight left. I believe Kovalev will deliver that one, when he will face Canelo. To believe he is an spent fighter, just waiting to get hit to find an spot on the canvas and be counted out “a la Amir Khan” is completely wrong. I will not contradict the fact that he has been chosen because he is not longer the fearsome fighter of 5 years ago, but his power still there and being the bigger man, this, for many a cherry picking, might go wrong. I believe there is a chance
To you Canelo fans, don’t worry. Oscar and Canelo got the judges in their pockets just Incase Kovalev wins.
you people really believe that Kovalev has 0 chance to KO Canelo? I think Kovalev has a chance. He still has the power punches. Canelo was out on his feet against Jose Miguel Cotto from 1:27 to 1:00 of round 1 of that fight in 2010. That is over 9 years ago. But to me, if Kovalev can catch Canelo with left hooks he doesn’t see coming, I can see him in bad trouble. But if Canelo wins, he could always tell Golovkin, if you want to fight again, we have to do it at 170 lbs. I can see Canelo staying up at 168 or being a small light heavyweight, at least for 2020 and the first half of 2021. I am not sure if Canelo drops back to 160 in the next year or year and a half.
I believe the Russian has a chance if the fight comes off and is at the 175 limit with no clauses. A lot of oddities about this fight and this is something I have never seen before in my quarter of a century as a boxing fan. 7 weeks for a major title fight at the Superstar level. Promotion and camp in under 2 months, Hmmmm.
As we all know, the weight for this fight will be a major factor. I wouldn’t be surprised that once a certain amount of tickets is sold, they will tell us that the fight is not at 175 but a lower catch weight.
Id have more respect, if he wants to claim to be a champ in a certain division, if he at least fought the fighter most believe is the best at the weight. Rocky Fielding certainly wasn’t that guy, nor was Liam Smith and neither is Kov.
Look at Thomas Hearns, from 1980 to 1991 he won ‘world tiltes’ in 5 divisions.
Ok, I don’t buy it that he was really a 5 weight champ, but at least he fought the best and win or lose always gave a great account of himself.
He won his first title blasting out long reigning WBA welter Cuevas in 2 rounds, defended a few times then attempted to unify by fighting Leonard, in an epic fight he was stopped in 14.
He desperately wanted to avenge the loss and campaigned for a rematch, but not long after Leonard retired with a detached retina.
Hearns moved to LMW, beat the best available champ in Benitez, then defended a few times, including annihilating an ageing, but recently rejuvenated Duran.
Next he moved to MW and challenged undisputed champ Hagler, giving us all 3 of the most brutal rounds you’ll ever see, but he cane up short and was KOd in 3.
But that didn’t stop him, he came back and after a couple of years won 2 more titles, first the WBC LHW in early 87, against the weakest LHW at the time Dennis Andres. I class this as cherry picking, but hear me out. Next he fought for the vacant WBC MW belt, vacated by Leonard after he retired (again) after decisioning Hagler. This time he beat a past his best brawler in Juan Roldan in 4 seesaw rounds.
He lost the MW title in his next fight, after dominating Iran Barkley and being on the verge of stopping Iran, Barkley knocked him all but senseless with a couple of brutal hooks, the follow up barrage finished Hearns.
Next fight Hearns looked awful, struggling to last the distance against James Kinchen, and somehow miraculously winning the newly formed WBO SMW title in late 88.
Personally I don’t really count 2 of the ‘titles’ he won in 87 & 88 Andres was no way the best LHW, Kinchen won in 88, even tho he was robbed. The MW win is arguable genuine, as in it counts for a title and claim to being the best MW for the few months he had it.
But one of his best wins came in 91, when he fought Virgil Hill, who was LHW champ and widely regarded as the best at the weight. Hearns won via decision after thoroughly outgoing Hill over 12 rounds.
Anyway, my general point is, there are fighters who fight the best, as Hearns generally did.
Then there are fighters who are extremely calculating and who fight some decent fighters, but pick there opportunities well, try to gain an advantage by taking illegal substances/include catch weight clauses and have plenty of filler fights (and even try and convince us these are genuinely legit world title fights), as I feel Canelo is and does.
A very good fighter, but he’s not old school great.
Is well known (and you should) that the weight of a fighter is a top secret. Many reasons support this, and one of the most important is to get the best matchmaking for him. What at this moment is more dangerous for Canelo; face at 168 a red hot wire named Callum Smith, a free style young banger nicknamed “el bandera roja” or a fading great with still respectable name? The matchmaking of Canelo will be fluctuating accordingly with the dangerous of the opposition, being the weight the one that will help him to justify the selection
I don’t understand your point about the secret of weight Mike. I mean there’s no secret about what weight Canelo is challenging at but they can’t keep it a secret if there’s some catchweight for the fight. I guess maybe I don’t understand your post at all. Also, who is the free-swinging banger known as “and bandera roja”?
@Chris: David Benavidez is also known as “El Bandera Roja”.
Lol, what a joke.. challenge one of the more durable prime lt hvy wts… You know, I’d respect him more if he fought an undefeated lt hvy prospect than a washed up barely champion
C’mon, I am no fan of Canelo and don’t like his primadonna ways but asking him to fight Bivol, Gvozdyk or Beterbiev is a little unfair. Canelo is five foot eight inches for god sakes and I bet you he doesn’t walk around heavier than 180 pounds at any point. If he truly fights kovalev without a rehydration clause or catch weight, then I honestly have to give him credit for the challenge. Even though kovalev is significantly past his prime, it is still a ballsy move by the little churro
This is a great fight, as long as Kovalev is forced down to a catch-weight. He is still talented, and many believe he won the first fight vs Ward. If he’s motivated and trains properly without having serious injuries, he may be too big for Canelo. Everyone talks about Kovalev’s weak body, but Canelo will have to worry about Kovalev’s punches to his jaw when he tries to close in. Kovalev just may be a bit too big, though he’s looked vulnerable in his last few fights.
No official mention of the weight has been made. If the fight is at catch weight (below 175) it’s another scam. If the fight is at 175, its a legitimate match up and should be an interesting fight. Kova is almost done at elite level, but he may well have one more big fight in him.
I’m not a Canelo hater as such, I think he’s a top fighter, who’s had some good wins esp over Jacobs and the second GGG fight (Which was very close, but couldn’t argue with the decision).
He’s also had his share of controversy, Clenbuterol, a dodgy decision win of Lara, some unbelievable scoring (1 judge scored a draw v Mayweather and the 118-110 card in the first GGG fight).
I also don’t like the way, after he beat Cotto, made statements like the ‘we don’t f**k around’ one regarding fighting GGG, then ducked him for 2 years and fought the likes of Liam Smith for LMW title, and defended his MW title against Khan of all people.
His fight with Fielding was pure cherry picking, sure he’s not the first fighter to do it, but that was after signing a $365 million 11 fight deal, top money, for that kind of money I’d expect back to back top challengers, not a fight against one of the weakest champs in history.
Next up is the faded and fragile, but still decent Kov…again I see this as cherry picking, although not on the same scale as the Fielding fight, but cherry picking all the same .
For me Canelo is at best a 2 weight champ, LMW and MW and many would even dispute that. Beating Kov won’t change that, if he unifies, then it’s a different story, but beating a shell who holds a belt isn’t in reality the massive accomplishment his promo team are selling us.
Kolav by KO in round 5, Crazy canelo