Canelo Alvarez: “I’m going to win”

By Boxing News - 05/04/2022 - Comments

By Allan Fox: Canelo Alvarez is convinced that he’s prepared to the fullest extent and will dethrone WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night.

For Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs), he can rapidly become the undisputed champion at 175 in only two fights by defeating Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) on Saturday and then beat the June 18th winner of the IBF/WBC 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev vs. WBO champion Joe Smith Jr.

As far as Canelo is concerned, beating Bivol is the hardest part that he needs to get out of the way for him to become the undisputed champion at 175. He’s not too worried about beating the Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. winner.

Bivol is going to be a problem for Canelo due to his movement, combination punching, powerful jab, and his chin

In Canelo’s recent fights against Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, his power bailed him out of a sticky situation after he was getting outboxed through the first half of those fights.

It’s going to be a lot harder for Canelo to try and hurt Bivol because he takes an excellent shot, and he’s not going to be standing directly in front of the Mexican star in the way that Saunders and Plant both did.

Canelo-Bivol will be shown live on DAZN pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight card cost is $59.99 for DAZN subscribers and $79.99 for non-subscribers.

For many boxing fans that signed up to DAZN thinking they’d never have to purchase another PPV event again, they feel betrayed, and they’re angry about it.

A lot of the fans are saying they’re canceling their subscriptions with DAZN, as they feel that this is just the beginning, with other fighters on the service likely to wind up on PPV events.

Canelo predicting victory

“I always try to fight the best and the other champions,” said Canelo Alvarez to Matchroom Boxing. “If you want to make history and have a really good career, you need to fight the best.

“I’m going to enjoy this fight because it’s a dangerous fight for me, and I really like it,” Canelo said about his fight with Dmitry Bivol. “I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can, and I’m going to put it my best. Whatever happens there, I’m going to put my best, and I’m going to win,” said Canelo.

As long as Canelo gives it his best shot, you can’t take that away from him if he fails to beat Bivol. Fans just want to see Canelo putting in a good effort and giving it his best shot.

It’s tough for Canelo because he’s fighting a type of guy that he hasn’t faced since his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he’s not as young as he was back then.

“Yes, of course, I saw the fight, and I really like a woman and these kinds of shows and these kinds of fights. It’s amazing,” Canelo said about last Saturday’s match between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

“I feel really proud about that fight, and congratulations to Serrano and Taylor. They did a really good job.

“I’m looking for the best. As I said before, the money is there for me. I don’t need to look for the money. I just look to make history. So if you want to make history, you need to fight the best and the champions.

“I love boxing, I love what I do, and the challenges make me feel alive and motivate myself. It’s as big as when I was young. I still love what I do.

“I got to the gym, and I feel like I’m going to fight the first professional fight. I love what I do, and that’s why I’m different because boxing is part of my life. It’s part of my routine every day, and I enjoy it a lot.

“Legacy is important for me because I want to be one of the best fighters in boxing history. That’s why I choose these kinds of fights because I want to be one of the best for my career,” said Canelo.

Alvarez rates Bivol #1 at 175

“Dmitry Bivol is a great fighter, a solid champion at 175,” said Canelo. “To me, he’s the best at 175, and that makes me feel alive and motivated. For me, it’s a really good challenge, but I like it.

“In my office, I have similar pictures with Eddie Hearn. I really like that guy, I love that guy, and I enjoy working with him. I appreciate what Eddie says, and that’s what I want for the people to say that I’m one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. That’s all I want.

“Just be a great person. Everyone makes mistakes, but do your best and do what you do and not try to be something else. Trying to do your best. Sometimes it’s enough, but you just need to be you, and we’ll see.

“My youngest daughter and youngest boy, they understand what I am and what I do. But they don’t know how much,” said Canelo.

Bivol doesn’t care if he’s underestimated

“Of course, I try to think and be focused like I’m usually,” Bivol said to Fight Hub TV on whether he feels nervous about his fight with Canelo Alvarez. “Size doesn’t matter. I had a lot of taller opponents against me, and smaller doesn’t mean not too much.

“Many people can’t get over the pressure in the ring with all the fans. That’s part of being a champion in being confident and getting over that.

“Maybe we have some things similar,” said Bivol when told that Canelo said that he fights in a similar way as Sergey Kovalev and Gennadiy Golovkin. “We can all punch jabs and uppercuts.

“Similar maybe, but Golovkin, not too much similar. Every fighter has a different power, speed, conditioning, and of course, it’s competition, not just competition speed.

“Maybe, but I don’t bet on my jab,” said Bivol when told that Canelo has trouble with fighters that jab a lot.

“Maybe, yes, but for me, it doesn’t matter,” said Bivol when asked if maybe Canelo is underestimating him because he already has a fight set up with Gennadiy Golovkin in September.

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