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Saul “Canelo” Alvarez challenges Sergey” Krusher Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title on November 3, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Canelo will be moving up two weight classes to face Krusher as the Mexican superstar looks to win a world title in a fourth weight class. Alvarez has won world titles at junior middleweight, middleweight and a secondary title at super middleweight. Kovalev is the former unified light heavyweight champion who suffered back to back losses to Andre Ward in 2016 and 2017. He’s since won the WBO title and will be defending it for the second time against Alvarez.
Boxing’s Biggest Superstar
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is boxing’s biggest superstar today. The 29-year old Mexican is the #3 ranked Pound for Pound fighter by the Ring and is the current WBA, WBC, Ring, and Lineal middleweight champion. He is a three-weight division champion after having held world titles at junior middleweight, middleweight, and super middleweight.
Canelo is known as one of the best counter-punchers in the business and he is an excellent body puncher who puts on a terrific pace against his opponents. Alvarez stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 70 ½ inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Canelo has a record of 52-1-2 with 35 knockouts. His only loss came at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Alvarez is coming off a 12 round unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs.
Third Title Reign
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev is one of the best light heavyweights of this era. He unified the light heavyweight titles before losing two straight fights to Andre Ward. Kovalev won the light heavyweight title again in 2017 but lost it in his second defense. The Krusher is now in his third reign as the light heavyweight world champion and he is hoping to get his biggest win ever against Canelo.
Kovalev is one of the division’s hardest punchers. He is known as the Krusher because of that. Kovalev is 34-3-1 with 29 knockouts. The Russian champion stands 6-0 tall and has a reach of 72 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. After his losses to Ward, Kovalev also suffered a knockout loss against Eleider Alvarez. He avenged that loss and then knocked out rising star Anthony Yarde in his most recent bout.
Who Wins?
This is an interesting fight to make because while Alvarez is the much younger fighter, he is moving up two weight classes to fight Kovalev. Alvarez didn’t ask for a catchweight here and he will be fighting Krusher in his backyard. That could very well go against him because while Kovalev doesn’t have the speed to match him, the Russian still has that big knockout punch.
But remember that Canelo looked strong when he moved up to fight Rocky Fielding. Sure, light heavyweight is still seven pounds higher, but Alvarez has shown that he can carry his speed and power at a higher weight class. He is no stranger fighting a bigger man. He did so against Fielding and Gennady Golovkin.
Look for Canelo to stay out of Kovalev’s range. He’s going to move side to side and try to land his big body punches. He will also have to use his elite counter-punching skills to keep Kovalev at bay. Canelo also has a very durable chin and I expect him to stay on his feet in this bout.
Kovalev will try to bully Alvarez here. He can’t beat Canelo from a distance because the Mexican is faster with his feet and hands. Kovalev needs to get as close as he can and land his big shots. If Kovalev can consistently corner Canelo and pummel him before he gets out, this will be a very good fight. However, if Alvarez uses his elusiveness and stays out of harm’s way, he’s going to punch his way to victory. I think Kovalev is too slow to catch a moving Canelo.
Prediction: Canelo Alvarez by Decision
Ryan Garcia vs Romero Duno
After his squabble with Golden Boy, Ryan Garcia gets a relatively easy opponent in a big fight card. The 21-year old is one of the more popular young fighters and has a 3.6M Twitter following. Inside the ring, he is undefeated but he’s not fought anyone significant. That won’t change on Saturday against Romero Duno.
Garcia
-800
Duno
+500
Odds from TitanBet as of 10/31/19
Romero Duno hails from the Philippines but that’s as far as the Manny Pacquiao comparison goes. The matchup looks one-sided, at least on paper. Duno gives up three inches in height and two inches in reach. Duno is 21-1 with 16 knockouts and is a rugged fighter you don’t want to try trading blows with. Garcia has power too. He is 18-0 with 15 KOs. He has the edge not only in size but also in skill. Garcia is also the heavy boxing betting favorite here.
Duno’s best chance may be his only chance in this bout. He needs to get inside Garcia’s range and keep the fight there. He cannot afford to let Garcia use his speed and length and dictate the fight from a distance. That is easier said than done though and I think that given Garcia’s edge in height and reach, he is going to pick Duno apart with his combinations. If Duno gets inside, this will be interesting. If not, it’s going to be a boxing clinic for Ryan Garcia.
Prediction: Ryan Garcia
Seniesa Estrada vs Marlen Esparza
Seniesa Estrada and Marlen Esparza have been on a collision course for quite some time now. These two flyweights have trash-talked each other in the last couple of years and have been tabbed as future ring rivals. The future is now and the two will finally square off on Saturday night.
Estrada is 17-0 with 7 knockouts. The 27-year old from Los Angeles stands 5-2 tall and has a reach of 63 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. She won the vacant WBC silver female light flyweight title in 2018 and has successfully defended that belt twice this year. On the other hand, Esparza is a bronze medalist from the 2012 London Olympics. This 30-year old from Houston, Texas also won a gold medal in the 2014 World Championships. Esparza has a record of 7-0 with one knockout. She stands 5-3 tall with a reach of 54 inches.
Esparza had a better amateur career but Estrada has more experience fighting as a professional as she has been a prizefighter since 2011. Both women haven’t fought significant opponents in the professional ranks and this should be the biggest fight for both fighters. This bout is for the interim WBA women’s flyweight belt. Estrada is coming up from 108 pounds but should have enough ring savvy to outpoint Esparza who didn’t fight for a year before 2019 after giving birth. Esparza doesn’t have the power nor the technical skills to win.
Prediction: Seniesa Estrada
