Canelo Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev Odds & Picks

• Alvarez vs Kovalev goes Saturday, November 2nd at 6:30 pm EST
• Can Canelo parlay his middleweight title success into championship glory at light-heavyweight?
• Can Kovalev halt the younger champion’s ascension to the top of another weight division?

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Alvarez vs Kovalev is a hugely compelling crossroads bout between two proven champs in a title fight that few theorized would ever happen. This is the main event for what promises to be an awesome night of fights. The light-heavyweight division has been tremendously exciting as of late and this matchup further bolsters that sentiment. Canelo is the biggest name boxer of the modern-day and he’s aiming to move up in weight to capture gold.

Conversely, Kovalev is looking to further reaffirm his status as one of the all-time great light heavyweights in the history of the sweet science. The blockbuster night of prizefighting hails from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The odds for this blockbuster bout and my analysis of the fight are below.

Alvarez vs Kovalev Odds

Odds taken October 29, 2019

Canelo Alvarez is poised to become a four-division champion when he steps into the ring this weekend. In order to do that, he must first fight one of the more well-regarded light-heavyweights of this generation. Kovalev has a cumulative 11 title defenses across his title tenures and is the current reigning WBO titlist.

The timing of this fight is curious as Canelo is the champion just settling into his physical/competitive prime while Kovalev is a dangerous proven titlist who seems to be in the final stretch of his career. Call me crazy but I have a feeling that Kovalev can turn back the clock.

Kovalev Over Canelo

This is a fight where both participants seem to perceive the other as the toughest test of their respective careers. You can tell both men have a commensurate level of respect for the other and this is presumably informing some impassioned preparations for the bout.

The general perception is that Canelo’s team is looking to capitalize on Kovalev being in the waning years of his career and this is reflected in the fight odds. The opportunistic vibe also comes from Kovalev’s quick turn around after last fighting in late August. It is by no means a forgone conclusion that Canelo gets the victory here though.

On November 2nd, @canelo attempts to be the next fighter to successfully jump up in weight. #CaneloKovalev

How will he fare at light heavyweight? 🥊 pic.twitter.com/GFnWQsraiM

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 25, 2019

Alvarez is a guy with respectable power in his hands but he normally plays the long game. I think this will especially be the case in this bout with Kovalev who will have a size and power advantage over the middleweight champion. Kovalev has an 85-percent KO rate and Alvarez can easily wake up looking at the lights if he doesn’t fight intelligently.

Canelo has fought some legends in his respective weight classes (Floyd Mayweather, GGG, etc) and this Kovalev bout is right in line with that pattern. Canelo is very much a competitive guy looking to make some legacy moves.

Alvarez vs Kovalev Tale of the Tape

Kovalev and those close to him see the aforementioned quick turn around as beneficial. Kovalev feels he has residual momentum. He has said he has around five fights left, and he realizes the opportunities that would come from securing a big win over Canelo.

The speed, defensive savvy, and durability of Canelo paint a picture for me where I theorize this fight won’t be stopped. I think Kovalev wins via decision live on DAZN this weekend.

Pick: Kovalev (+325)