Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez to fight Kovalev in Las Vegas

Searching for excellence in boxing, Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez will step up two categories to fight Sergey Kovalev , world champion’s light heavyweight next November 2 .

Álvarez, who missed the date of the Mexican Independence, goes back to the ring with the objective of becoming a champion in four different categories . During the last week, the fight between Álvarez and Kovalev has been widely talked about and it was Canelo himself who gave the announcement on Twitter .

“It's official. I’m happy to announce that I will step up 2 categorie s to face one of the most powerful rivals in this division. This November 2 will be one of the greatest challenges in my career. We’re going to make history together,” wrote Álvarez.

Although Kovalev, of 36 years of age , is no longer the feared destroyer pound for pound of his 2013-2016 prime, he is still a strong rival for Álvarez, who will have to counteract the weight difference between them.

Kovalev comes from knocking out British Anthony Yarde in August, with whom he had some struggles. Sergey knocked him with his strong and dreaded jab. The Russian has three defeats in his career, two of them against André Ward.

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Álvarez will try to become the fourth Mexican to conquer world championships in four different categories : Érik Morales, Juan Manuel Márquez and Jorge “Travieso” Arce.

The venue for the fight will be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas , a stage Canelo has not visited since 2014. “We promised to make this fight a reality , and now we’re fulfilling it,” said Óscar De La Hoya, president, and CEO of Golden Boy .

“ Historical fights have been a hallmark of this company, and we are pleased to fulfill, once more, the high expectations we have established for our fans. The best pound for pound boxer is also the most important boxing star. Few boxers in the story can say to be like Canelo Álvarez. Now, he will look to become the world champion in four categories against one of the most dangerous in recent years, and I’m sure that he will stop him. There is no better home for this than in the DAZN platform or alive in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,” said De La Hoya.

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Canelo, originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco , of 29 years old, has become the face of boxing. With 154 pounds , Canelo has won several world titles and has defeated boxers like Austin “No Doubt” Trout, Sugar Shane Mosley, Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, and Liam “Beefy” Smith .

With 160 pounds , Canelo defeated Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs to establish himself as the king of the middleweight division. And, little after signing an innovative association with DAZN, a world-class sports broadcast giant, Canelo moved to the 168 pounds division and defeated Rocky Fielding in the third round to become Super Middleweight World Champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Canelo will now look to make history once more by becoming the second Mexican boxer to have a world title in the light heavyweight division , a feat only achieved by Julio César González in 2003.

“The second stage of my career continues just as planned, and that is why we’re still having great fights to enter the history books of boxing,” said Canelo Álvarez. “That is also why I have decided to climb up two weight categories against one of the most feared champions of recent years. Kovalev is a dangerous fighter and, naturally, the biggest man, but that is the kind of challenges and risks I like to face.”

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