16:33 ET
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Mike Coppinger ESPN
LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez stood on the scales on Friday in front of the T-Mobile Arena, decorated with a wave of red and white and green flags, while mariachis thundered in full force.
For the first time in three years, Alvarez will compete in Las Vegas on the Cinco de Mayo weekend – the date and place that are usually reserved for the biggest star of boxing.
When Canello defeated Daniel Jacobs here in May 2019, he retained his 160-pound championship with a unanimous decision. Three years later, he weighed 174.4 pounds, the second heaviest of his career, ahead of Saturday’s light heavyweight title challenge against Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (20:00 ET, DAZN pay-per-view).
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Buffalo, the ESPN welterweight champion and number 2, weighed 174.6 pounds.
“My best weight is 168 … but at 175 I feel very good,” said Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 1 super middleweight champion. – I feel strong.
The ceremonial weigh-in on Friday afternoon was preceded by the morning official weigh-in behind closed doors.
Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) will try to become a two-time light heavyweight champion after a knockout victory in November 2019 over Sergei Kovalev at 175 pounds. After this match, Alvarez released his light heavyweight title to make his campaign with 168 pounds.
This time, 31-year-old Alvarez can keep the belt for a while. But if he beats Buffalo, 31, his next match is already 168 pounds: defending his undisputed super middleweight title against Gennady Golovkin.
Golovkin and Alvarez have already met twice at 160 pounds – a draw in 2017 and a majority victory in 2018 for Alvarez.
Canello, boxer № 1 pound for pound of ESPN, expressed interest in the battle for the undisputed light heavyweight title in 2023. The meeting with the winner of the three-belt reunion on June 18 between Arthur Beterbiev and Joe Smith will achieve a feat
However, Alvarez must first bring back Buffalo (19-0, 11 KOs) and he is the 5-1 favorite for that, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
“I think I have enough experience and I have enough strength, speed, boxing quality to fight the best,” said Bivol. “… I don’t think I was avoided. Maybe I shouldn’t just have an interesting match because I’m not famous yet. I know it’s business. Okay. Okay. No problem. But now I’ve won the battle.”
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