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Get your fight week coverage here on Bloody Elbow, as Canelo Alvarez moves up to light heavyweight to fight WBO champion Sergey Kovalev.
It’s a truly monstrous night for combat sports on the evening of Saturday, November 2nd. Not only do you have UFC 244 in New York, you have Canelo Alvarez’s move up to light heavyweight, as he takes on WBO champion Sergey Kovalev. Alvarez is the world’s #1 middleweight, but now he’s jumping two weight classes up against a longtime force at 175 lbs.
This year could’ve been the year for a trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin, but Canelo (52-1-2, 35 KOs) seems uninterested in that matchup. He has pursued a bout with Kovalev throughout the summer and Golden Boy Promotions was finally able to deliver. For the Mexican superstar, he’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs, which briefly unified two of the four major titles at middleweight, only for Alvarez to be stripped of his IBF belt for not fighting mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko. He wasn’t “ducking” Sergiy, rather he had his eyes on bigger names, and Derevyanchenko didn’t fit the bill.
At this time last year, Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) had been dethroned as WBO champion in a shocking KO loss to Eleider Alvarez. He avenged that defeat this past February in a clear-cut decision. Against mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde, Kovalev was in serious trouble and nearly knocked out by the Englishman thanks to a barrage of body shots, which opened up those power punches upstairs. Kovalev survived the onslaught, Yarde faded, and for the most part Sergey had soundly outboxed him, ultimately knocking him out with a jab. It’s early days, but his relationship with new trainer Buddy McGirt appears to be paying off, and now he stands to make a career-high payday.
Yes, this fight is the same night as Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz. DAZN wanted this November 2nd date and they stuck to it even after Masvidal vs. Diaz was announced. There’s nothing stopping you from watching both, although it’ll be hard to watch them both live with your undivided attention.
Early betting odds have Canelo as more than a 4-to-1 favorite, even though he’s never competed at 175 lbs and Kovalev is a destructive puncher. It feels like a weird fight to make, but it is compelling enough that it should draw a big audience at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Bloody Elbow will have full fight week coverage of Canelo vs. Kovalev, including play-by-play, analysis, highlights, and much more. The DAZN main card begins at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. Expect the main event to begin at midnight ET/9 PM PT.