The negotiations for a fight between Sergey Kovalev and Saul Canelo Alvarez reportedly cleared a big hurdle that could help the fight happen on November 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same night as UFC 244.
Kovalev (34-3, 29 KOs) became the clear frontrunner to become Alvarez’s next opponent as soon as the Russian power-puncher regained the WBO light heavyweight title in his immediate rematch with Eleider Alvarez, winning a unanimous decision to avenge his shocking KO defeat in the 11th round on August 24 in Chelyabinsk, Russia, Kovalev’s hometown.
Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) unified his WBA and WBC middleweight titles with then-IBF champion Daniel Jacobs, winning a unanimous decision this past May. The Mexican superstar has never fought at light heavyweight before and would be moving up two divisions (160 lbs to 175 lbs) to challenge Kovalev.
Kovalev will get eight figures for the fight and is expecting to perform well against Canelo. The timing for the payday is brilliant for Kovalev, because he likely won’t hold onto his WBO title for too long. Getting one last big payday against Canelo is a win-win for Kovalev.
