Update: Golden Boy President Eric Gomez stated “Nothing done,” on social media. So we’ll see what ultimately unfolds.
Multi-division world champion Canelo Alvarez will reportedly challenge WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev on November 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. According to ESPN Deportes, the fight has been agreed upon, but is not yet signed. Canelo will be looking to win a world title in a fourth weight division.
Canelo-Kovalev had been on the table before Kovalev’s recent defense against Anthony Yarde and a step-aside offer had even been refused by Yarde. Kovalev knocked out Yarde in round eleven and stated afterward that he wanted Canelo next.
Early odds on the fight have Canelo as a 5:1 favorite. The bout would stream on DAZN.
Kovalev stops the Red headed hooker in 5!
Based on Kovalev’s recent performances it hard to see him stopping Canelo in any round let alone the 5th. If anybody gets stopped it will be Kovalev.
I agree Southall, a prime Kovalev would easily knock out Canelo however, based on his most recent performance, Sergei has lost the skills that made him a feared and top Lb for Lb fighter of his day.
Easily knock out granite beard Canelo? I would take that bet. Easily is a strong word there Juanito
Blake Caparello dropped kovalev with a boddy shot! What is the best body puncher in current boxing gonna do to krusher? Canelo wins this purely because his strengths are kovalevs weakness.
The cherry picking of titles continues, as Canelo, again picks arguable the weakest ‘champ’ in the LHW division, just as he did at light middle and super middle……a 4 weight champ when being ‘champ’ means very little.
I don’t fancy Kovs chances, good boxer when he sticks to it, but the Krusher of a few years ago no longer exists, just a vulnerable shell….probably still top 5-10, but that’s it.
Come on man. I don’t particularly like the Canelo train, but this is hardly cherry picking. I think it is a problem when a fighter is at the top of his game, most opponents seem like mismatches, but that would be expected because they are so good. I would love it if Kov KOd Canelo, but like a few have already said, Canelo will work his body too well.
How is team Cinnamon not cherrypickeing
He’s fighting the champ. Then he will beat GGG and you will find another excuse to not like him. Good for you Jason. Keep hating
Andrew hits the nail on the head!
Canelo is without a doubt the most calculative fighter of our time. He cherry picks whoever still has a recognizable name but is on his way out or clearly an inferior boxer.
His fishnet friend does the rest: he makes sure that the right judges are officiating his fights. Adalaide Byrd is their favorite, and she is still out there manipulating fight results.
Canelo will not be fighting the Krusher but a worn out, old Kovalev who was one or two punches away from being knocked out against a relative novice in his last fight.
Kova will agree to any terms because its his last and only chance for a huge payday.
And that is boxing of today, fully supported by all the major networks and news outlets like Boxing.com. Boxing fans are the only people in the world who can not only see through these scams but are also speaking up against them.
Like I said, I don’t particularly like Canelo, but I still don’t see why this fight offends so many people. Which fight would excite you more? Callum Smith? GGG again? Maybe Billy Joe Saunders would be a good stylistic matchup. Was the Jacobs fight a well timed cash grab? Kov isn’t what he was but he is a huge puncher and Canelo is coming up in weight. If he wants to prove he can mix it with top light heavyweights, why shouldn’t he? Everyone keeps saying it is a mismatch because of Canelo’s body punching, like Canelo should be apologetic of it. “sorry guys my body punching is awesome, so i don’t think it would be fair to fight this Champion who is susceptible to body shots” Nobody thinks like that
CB: You are raising good questions.
My first response would be that Canelo should stop fighting forcing others to fight at catch weights that are in his favor.
Second, since he clearly lost his first fight against GGG, and at best had a draw in the second, a third GGG would be more appropriate than any other fight. But as long as the media and the judges favor him, GGG – or any other fighter for that matter – will never get a decision against him. So, its not just a matter of match up, its a matter of putting fights together that are not corrupt.
In terms of boxing technique, Canelo has mediocre skills. He does have good punching power and a good chin. By now we also know that he controlled his weight problems with clenbuterol.
His boxing record is one of the most deceptive ones I’ve ever seen. His fights against Chavez Jr, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Rocky Fielding, etc. were a complete joke and insult to the sport of boxing. Lara and GGG exposed his limited boxing skills, but because of corrupted judges, he got the wins to bolster his fake record.
Canelo has to move up in weight classes because of his weight problems, but he won’t fight any light heavy at 175. If he forces Kovalev to fight at a lower weight than that, Kova will be drained, and even less effective than against Yarde – who was one or two punches away from knocking Kova out in the 8th.
At least for me, Canelo is one of the biggest frauds in boxing. Not because he is that bad of a boxer but because he cheats in various ways on a regular basis.
I agree on the GGG situation and I agree catchweights can be a shifty way to gain an advantage. I personally don’t think judges were bribed, but I agree the first Canelo/GGG draw was nonsense.
However, if Canelo has such a deceptive record then the Kovalev fight should be all the more intriguing. Who else in Kovalev’s weightclass (or below) would come in as such a big favourite against him? GGG maybe? If Canelo is a fraud then Kovalev seems like a good bet at those odds.
CB: Canelo is officially a 5:1 betting favorite against Kova, and for good reasons. Kova is on his way out and very susceptible to body punches.
But to answer your legitimate question – whom should he fight?
First, if Canelo wants to fight a light heavy the fight should be at 175 lbs and not at a BS catch weight.
Next, the best fighters in that division are currently Bivol and Gvozdyk. The #3 would be Gilberto Ramirez. Eleider Alvarez (#4) is on par or slightly better than Kovalev (#5 or 6), but Eleider is already 35 and won’t have that many top level fights anymore.
Kovalev is 36 and has declined significantly over the past few years. He’s without a doubt the weakest of the current light heavyweight champs..
you are seriously ranking Eleider Alvarez above Kovalev?
Based on the two times they fought, yes. Eleider won the first by KO and lost the second by UD. Eleider has only one loss on his record.
If you ask me who of the two had a better career, its of course Kovalev. But at this moment, I don’t consider Kov better anymore.
Sorry gotta massively disagree with you on that one. If that was really still considered a balanced rivalry they would have had a third fight. There was no demand for it because once Kovalev boxed safe, it was easy work. He took Alvarez lightly and got caught, simple as that. If they fought another 5 times Kovalev would likely win all 5. Were Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman equals because the both scored knockouts over each other?
CB: I have no problem respecting your point of view in this regard.
I just see too much wear and tear on Kovalev – I think this upcoming fight may be his last hoorah.
Eleider, on the other hand, should still have a few fights ahead of him. But yes, I agree, no one would have much interest in a trilogy.
The two hottest fighters of the division are now Bivol and Gvozdik – they are the future. Kova and Eleider are at the tail end of the career – neither of them can get better anymore.
PS: I don’t think Lewis – Rahman is a good comparison. Eleider has one loss on his record and he is without a doubt not a one hit wonder like Rahman. He beat people like Pascal, Bute, Chilemba, etc. and is generally rated top 4 or 5 in the division.
They’re fighting for the title. Sooooo it can’t be at a catch weight….next
Pablo: In a sense, you are absolutely right but are you sure you understand what “catch weight” means? If they fight at even 1 ounce above the super middle weight limit (168 lbs in professional boxing), the fight is already a legitimate light heavyweight fight.
So, the weight they are fighting at is not what determines whether its a “catch weight” fight or not. “Catch weight” means that the contract forces one fighter to come in below the upper limit (175 lbs in this case).
Kova fights best when he can be 175 at the weigh in, and about 184 or so in the ring. For every pound he would be forced to give up, he would be drained and exponentially weaker.
“Catch weight” is a BS concoction and should never have been allowed in the first place.
A light Heavy ?! Then why not “The nail” , Beterbiev or Bivol ? Because he’s a cheating readheaded bitch and to me that’s 3 things i can’t stand , that’s why i’m no more a fan of his… I discovered Canelo when he fought the brother of Cotto, i was really impressed but no more.. He’s the same as Mayweather : cherry picking big names when they are getting old, no heart, no pride..
most calculative fighter of our time? When was you born 2013?
Who has Canelo ducked? Hmmmmm, can’t wait to hear this one.
I could give you at least 10 names, but I don’t think you would appreciate it.
There are many ways of “ducking” one or more opponents – not just by avoiding them altogether, but by purposefully fighting either inexperienced people or fighters who already peaked a while ago. There are many examples of fighters waiting until certain opponents are getting too old or are worn out.
Another way of “ducking” is to move between divisions in order to avoid mandatories. There are numerous examples in this regard.
Yet another way of “ducking” is to avoid rematches when an opponent was better but had the judges against him.
But I don’t think you want to hear these names and examples. You are already convinced that Canelo never ducked anyone. Be convinced!
Canelo in 2!
Probabaly a catch-weight. 169, 170, 171.
Catch weights should be disallowed. The catch weight concept s a calculative concoction with the only objective to generate unfair advantages for the fighter who is in control of the contract.
Catch weights directly defy the purpose of existing weight classes.
The other issue that should be straightened out is weigh-ins. Too many fighters come in 10-20 pounds over the official weight limit on the day of the fight. What’s the point of having divisions that are defined by weight limits if so many people come in 5-15% of the weight limit? Fighters should weigh 12 hours before the fight. For every pound over weight, they should forfeit 20% of their purse to the opposing fighter.
If these rules would be implemented across the board, we would have fair fights and also safer fights. When a fighter comes in 20 lbs heavier than his opponent, there is obviously enormous risk of serious injuries for the fighter who comes in at the appropriate weight.
Can’t wait to see the contract on this one. The requirements for Kovalev. Gonna be like a mayweather contract.
Excuse my ignorance, but didn’t they say it was for the LHW title, so doesn’t that rule out a bulls#$& catch weight?
@ Thomas: yes, you are 100% right, but unfortunately there are too many out there who can’t understand this very simple truth and fact.
No, because even if the weight was at 169 lbs it would be a light heavyweight contest. But, I personally don’t think this fight will even be negotiated especially when they talk about a November 2nd fight date. I can see the casuals are fooled, but not I.
It’s hard, near impossible to satisfy a hater, who, with this matchup most likely will start to find a reason to criticize it. ……Kovalev is not the same before……is a cherry picking……maybe they will ask for a catch up weight….judges are arranged and so on.
Lets be honest at least once haters, and find the good side of this fight. There are many to choose, being one of them the fact that an small man that started his boxing career maybe as a Lightweight will face a light heavyweight champion who just recently proved to still very capable by knocking out a formidable undefended opponent who was his mandatory.This time is almost the opposite of Canelo vs. Josesito Lopez (fight that I criticized).
I see this as a good fight, with nothing wrong to add, especially if there is not catchup weight on it and the mandatory tests are performed.
Yeah I agree. Of all the shit fights out there, people get upset about Canelo fighting Kovalev. Since Ward, Kovalev had one shock loss and avenged it comfortably. I also find it funny how people talk about Kovalev’s susceptibility to body shots like it cheapens the fight somehow. Like Canelo should back off because he has the right skillset to win.
Mike: why do you call everyone who exposes Canelo’s various ways of “gaining an advantage” a “hater”? I am very critical of Canelo’s (fake) record but I definitely don’t hate him. He is just a screw in the machine, surrounded by people who need money. His fishnet friend makes more money with him than all his other boxers together. The networks make more money with him than with x amount of other profile fights. And of course, clenbuterol helps to work out a few other other problems. But the issue is not of hate, its about exposing someone who doesn’t win by honest means.
A fighter is exposed only by another fighter that has the ability to bring to the surface what, that has been sold as special, is just pure hype, but not for us, that barely know something about him. The classic stereotype of a hater is the one that at soon learn about a news about the hated boxer, bring a cascade of contradicted opinions, always with the same pattern (enlarging his flaws , minimizing his achievements, criticize heavily the selection of his opponent, finding ways to justify his dislike, and bringing thing from the past that had mixed reactions)
I have tried from many years ago (back in the 70’s) to find a fear balance in my opinions, all based in this conclusion; why to hate a person that doesn’t know me, and whatever this person does, doesn’t affect me at all?
I criticized Canelo for the clenbuterol scandal, because the evidences were clear and the fact that despite this, he always denied, but I would never bring this over and over again, just to minimize one of his achievements for instance. Another fact that always I was against was the infamous 155 pounds. But always, as I said before, with a decent and fair balance.
Another thing that I understand clear through the years: The mission of a promoter or the manager of any boxer is to protect, not to throw him under the bus. Classic hater has different point of view of course. Why Kovalev and not the winner of Betervieb vs. Gvozdik? Why he fought Golovkin when he had more experience and GGG was older and was not the other way around?
I believe Canelo vs. Kovalev is one of the best matchup made in recent years, way above Spence vs. Garcia, Pacquiao vs. Thurman and many others, being Wider vs. Fury just a bit above, but good match up nonetheless
Last I checked the WBO did not have a weight class between Super Middle weight and Light Heavy weight so how can a catch weight be for a 4th title?
Simple, he’ll challenge for the light heavy title with a contractual weight of no more than 171. Still over 169. Still light heavy. Only thing is he’s making him drop a few more pounds that can make the difference.
as long as they weigh below 175
Don’t worry Canela fans. The judges got Canela’s back if it goes the distance.
Artura, read mikemiguel’s comment. You might learn something .
canelo is crazy, SERGEY KOVALEV will knock him out its a suicide fight for canelo, canelo is not a a natural light heavyweight & SERGEY KOVALEV is, canelo will weigh at 165 pounds going into that fight 5.5 more pounds heavier than middlewight when he fought jacobs & tack another 3 pounds to that after weigh in & that would make canelo at 168 pounds going into that fight , canelo will be too slow to even throw a punch
Really? Between fights, Canelo walks around at around 180 lbs, and he will have a hard time now to make any weight below 168. Clenbuterol helped him to keep his weight artificially low for years.
Its a known fact that Canelo’s team is pushing for a catch weight, for the same reason you mention: Kova is a natural light heavyweight.
If the fight is at 175, Kova will have a chance. Any pound under 175 lbs will drain Kova, and therefore diminish his chances. That’s why there will be a lot of bargaining between them about the catch weight. All we can hope is that Kova will stick to his guns and demands a fight at 175 lbs.
There are no U.S. judges who would give Kovalev a UD, and a KO by Kovalev is unlikely. That’s why the official betting odds are 5:1 in favor of Canelo.
their is no such thing as a catch weight in light heavyweight as long you weigh in between 165 pounds to 178 pounds you already safe to fight any light heavyweight fighter between 165 to 178 pounds, canelo can fight at 165 pounds & kova can fight at 175 pounds no problem their is no need for draining
Catch weight would mean that Canelo is forcing Kova to weigh in at less than 175 lbs.
175 lbs is the upper limit of LHW, and no fighter in the division can generally be forced to come in lighter than that. If he is (forced to do so), its called a catch weight.
If Kova is allowed to weigh in at 175 lbs, its Canelo’s freedom to weigh in at any weight below, and the fight is a legitimate LHW fight.
if canelo forces kova then he shouldnt be fighting kova in the first place let the light heavyweight division be the light heavy weight division once your a light heavyweight your already with the big boys no need for draining! If canelo walk around 180 pds then im sure he can fight at 175 pounds
You sure do make a lot of definitive statements like your God Almighty himself. You don’t know what Canelo walks around at and what are you on about 5 to 1 odds? What do you think you’re a psychic?
Chris: no need to get aggressive. Read the Fightnews.com article above: it clearly states that Canelo is a 5:1 favorite at this time.
There are several public sources to find out about Canelo’s weight between fights. From what I read, it was 180-185 lbs, but someone commented in here that his weight goes up to even 190 lbs. Canelo’s weight problems are generally known to those who are not casuals.
Fightnews is a generic website and has no idea what the odds are especially since the fight has not even been made. As far as canelo’s weight, you do not have any more inside information than I do nor anyone else reading the boxing sites. All I hear is speculation from wannabe know-it-alls but there has never been proof of what Canelo walks around at. Looking at Canelo and the press and in various videos and between his fights I would estimate he weighs no more than 175 lb in between fights. The guy is only 5’8″ for crying out loud. That is of course just a guess and not a definitive statement. Unlike yours.
Sportsbooks have something called “futures.” You can lay down a bet right now on Canelo at -500 against Kovalev at SkyBet, for example. If the fight doesn’t happen within a specific timeframe, it’s no-bet and you get your money back.
Chris: why always so aggressive?
Fightnews just copied and pasted the official betting odds. Nothing wrong with that.
Canelo’s weight: if I remember correctly, you posted yourself that he walks around at 180 lbs – which is more or less what I wrote (180-185 lbs). If Canelo wouldn’t have weight problems, he wouldn’t have had to be on Clenbuterol. Now that he can’t be on Clen anymore, he has to fight the weakest links in any of the higher divisions.
After the weigh in Canelo comes in the ring as a light heavyweight.
stop trying to sell this fight LOL
Canelo walks around at around 190 or a little over and when he’s in the ring he’s practically a light heavyweight. Kovalev walks around at under 185.
Arturo: I thought Canelo walks around 180- 185 lbs or so. Is there a credible source that he blows up to over 190 lsb?
About as credible as the ‘sources’ you have
Sorry, Chris….but you are contradicting public records that are generally not disputed. Canelo’s weight between fights has gone up a lot in recent times. This is commonly known to those who are not casuals (as you call most of us here).
It’s like this, if it goes 12 rounds Canelo wins by judges being bought. If it comes down to a diqualification Canelo wins. If Canelo gets K.O’d it will be called a low blow or a hit in the back of the head and called a win for Canelo. Basically Kovalev must kill him, even then with the Delaho promoting it’s very hard to ever get a correct call. Personally I still think Kovalev has enough left to hurt Canela, and hopefully after the fight he hits Delaho and K.O’s him as well. End of story.
This is a great fight! Only worried about catchweights…Buddy McGirt has forced Kovalev to Jab and cover up. How much damage can Kovalev get in and how effective will his jab be before Canelo starts to hurt the body? Canelo will win any close decision but 1 or 2 knockdowns could still give Kovalev the W. This is more of a war than a 3rd GGG. Canelo neutralizes GGG and another controversial UD. Kovalev never had the showdown with Stevenson to really show his power. Shame on the sport of boxing for not forcing that fight to happen
This is why I don’t understand why Ward retired so early. There was a lot of money for him to make. By far will Be the favorite over anyone up to light heavyweight or maybe cruiserweight. There was a hypothetical fight match between Ward and Mayweather and he was 2 to 1 betting favorite.
Sure, Ward would be the favorite against anybody since he is allowed to punch his opponent in the nuts repeatedly. How do you defend against a guy keeping his head below your chest most of the fight, head-butting, elbowing and crotch punching?
He will be challenging him for the light heavy weight title at a contracted weight of no more than 165 pounds.
Any catch weight below 173 is just more Canelo/Oscar nonsense but I could see Kovalev taking it anyway if the money is right. Why not? When he loses, he can say it was the weight drain and then retire with a nice bank account. However, if it is at a catch weight, it should not be for any kind of title at all. As far as I am concerned, if this fight is at a catch weight and for a LHW title, it is to be ignored.
canelo wins a decision.
No fucking way canelo goes up to 175 pounds to fight 1 of the top 5 fighters in the division. This is just a publicity stunt by de la hoya because after canelo was stripped of another title fans are not interested in seeing a canelo fight. canelo cant knock out fighters his own size at 160 what is he gonna be able to do to naturally bigger fighters 175? Fuck outta here with this Bullshit
Well, at least I know I have company in the non gullible department on this site. This fight will not get made and it was never going to get made. Oscar will need to give that 365 million dollars back to John skipper or he will be sued. Vanela we’ll have to fight Andrade or go another hard 12 rounds with GGG. Or, there is a third option of getting brutally knocked out by Callum.
Chris: the fight has been made.
Canelo likes fighting older dudes..
People can say this is cherry picking, and it might be. What I see is simply Kovalev cashing in after having earned it with so many exciting fights, and Canelo picking the most recognizable (and probably weakest as well) name in the lightheavy, not to mention a title in a 4th division.
In another time, this would have been a death sentence for Canelo, but now, it’s hard to pick against him. Main reason? The contract that he signed with dazn. All that money being invested in him, guarantees, outside of a clean knockout, that canelo gets the most on a decision. Kovalev is desperately fighting father time right now and he’s in deep water. So, the only way Kovalev wins is by knockout. And, if he wants my title, he comes up to my weight class. I’m not going down, not even a pound. Get outta here with the catch-weights.
I guess the rules will be you can not weigh more than 168 Lbs the day of the figh
Team Golden boy with their fake offer and their media scrum to make it look like they are trying to get Canelo the best fights. I mean, who are these idiots trying to fool? We know good and hell well they are not going to promote this fight and have a training camp within the next seven weeks. This was about as genuine as an effort as to when they were trying to pull kovalev from his mandatory obligation against Yarde. This is why Canelo Alvarez continues to be the biggest fraud in the sport. I’m sure we will see Canelo against a has-been middleweight or a very low ranked contender sometime in December. Jon Skipper vs Golden boy promotions in a courtroom very soon is also my prediction.
The Krusher just beat 2 undefeated young lions in a row. He gave Andre Ward more trouble than any other fighter. Any time a fighter gets tested, you guys run to call him washed up. He is still the champion. He might not be as good as he was 5 years ago, but what fighter over 35 is? It’s still a good big money fight.
So i guess Canelo would have beat Ward hey? Kovalev will knock this pretender out…and it will be violent. Seriously i didn’t know Russian trolls were Canelo fans…lol. I know that 36 is ancient because i watched Bernard Hopkins dismantle a young Felix Trinidad….and then go on to be in his prime for at least 4 more years…yeah yeah Kovalev ain’t Bernard…no, he’s better at 175. Too many clueless fans in 2019. Even Jacobs was bought not to beat Canelo and frankly that’s the only way Canelo wins if Kovalev agrees not to win. Boxing is vomit today…sorry but that’s reality.
In Vegas Oscar will pay off the judges and there is no way Cinnamon will loose
There are still plenty of fighters in his weight class instead of aging boxers in other weight classes. He’s lucky he never got Bernard or Roy Jones in their prime. Im just sick of this moving up in weight class with older boxers. Canelo whoops Kovalev, too much handspeed and defense with bodywork.
I want to see Canelo call out Andre Ward!
bad ko kovalev career, easy fight for canelo.
CINNAHEAD IS DUCKING GGG. EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH THAT KNOWS BOXING SEES THE DUCK IN CINNAHEAD ALVAREZ. HE A CHUMP OF A DUCK.