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Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo is an unprecedented fight. It's the first clash between two undisputed male champions in the four-belt era. Alvarez's stature -- both physical and symbolic -- has him as a sizable betting favorite against the smaller Charlo. Yet the strength of Charlo's past performances has spurred the support of some of boxing's greatest legends ahead of Saturday's fight.
The bout's announcement came as a pleasant surprise. After all, Alvarez vs. Jermall Charlo was a matchup many thought possible, but few counted on the smaller Charlo twin moving up two divisions in pursuit of a legacy-defining win. There is a buzz in the air as Alvarez makes the first defense of the super middleweight championship as part of a lucrative three-fight deal with PBC.
The undercard for this PPV event is one of the deepest of the year with a good mix of rising contenders and veterans looking to hold their place. Former welterweight titleholder Yordenis Ugas is back in action when he takes on former junior welterweight contender Mario Barrios. This will be Ugas' first fight since a thudding loss to Errol Spence in a unification bout in April 2022. Barrios gave superstar Gervonta Davis a true battle in 2021. He followed that up with a high-profile loss to Keith Thurman but has bounced back with a TKO of Jovanie Santiago in February.
Those in the boxing sphere are split on which factors will most impact the fight's outcome. Alvarez is the larger, more experienced fighter but appears to be slowing down. Charlo's best days are still ahead of him, but a fight against the fabled Alvarez may be a leap too wide this week.
Canelo Alvarez wins
Mike Tyson, former undisputed heavyweight champion: "I think Canelo should beat him. Overpower him... But Canelo is not moving his head anywhere. That other guy was hitting him. And that gave him the confidence, he believes he can hit Canelo." [Via ES News]
Roy Jones Jr., former four-division world champion: "To jump one weight class is good, but to jump two is a little bit difficult. It's a more significant amount of weight. You don't know how your body is going to react to that. That's why guys usually go up a couple of pounds and add a couple of more pounds to see how their bodies are going to react... You're going to take that 14-pound jump and you're going to see what happens. That's dangerous because you don't know how your body is going to react to 14 pounds more. Can you carry that for 12 rounds? Can you take a punch like that for 12 rounds?" [Via Fight Hub TV]
Jermell Charlo wins
Freddie Roach, legendary trainer of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and others: "This is all about Charlo. I am really impressed with where Charlo is right now. I originally went with Canelo, but then I looked at videos of the last two or three fights for each guy and I was very impressed with what I saw from Charlo and did a 180 on my selection." [Via Boxing Scene]
Deontay Wilder, former world heavyweight champion: "I've got high confidence in Charlo, it's going to be a good one though... If I was leaning, I'd lean a little bit more towards Charlo. They've been wanting this so bad, a lot of people have been wanting Canelo so bad. This is the moment in time for them to prove themselves now that they have him." [Via K.O. Artist Sports]
https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/ne...s-and-legends-make-their-picks-for-the-fight/
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https://forums.sherdog.com/sportsbo...alvarez-vs-jermell-charlo-total-rounds.23244/
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