Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol: ring walks, date, start time, UK TV coverage and undercard - explained

Billed as ‘Legacy is Earned’ Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol are to meet in the ring to fight for the WBA light heavyweight championship title, which currently held by the latter.

Canelo has had an incredible few years fighting in different weight divisions and against all manner of fighters, but he returns to the light heavyweight category in the hopes of securing the WBA title.

Boxing’s pound-for-pound fighter and biggest active superstar last fought when he became the undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world with an 11th-round stoppage of Caleb Plant in November.

The 31-year-old is now back at 175 lbs to take on his latest challenger in the hopes of setting up a trilogy with long-term rival Gennady Golovkin.

Meanwhile, the unbeaten Russian fighter, Dmitry Bivol, has held the WBA belt since November 2017 and was last challenged by Umar Salamov last December - a fight which saw him retain the belt once more.

When is Canelo vs Bivol?

The fight is scheduled for Saturday 7 May 2022. The ring walks are likely to take place at around 5am on Sunday morning for UK fans.

Where is the fight taking place?

The bout will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, America.

How to watch Canelo vs Bivol?

The fight is set to be livestreamed on DAZN. Subscriptions for this streaming service start at £7.99/month.

The bout is also available to stream through the DAZN app and can be viewed on smart TVs, game consoles as well.

Who is on the undercard?

• MAIN EVENT: Canelo Alvarez v Dmitry Bivol for WBA (Super) light heavyweight title
• Montana Love v Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela
• Zhilei Zhang v TBA
• Shakhram Giyasov v Christian Gomez
• Joselito Velazquez v Jose Sato
• Alexis Espino v Aaron Silva
• Marc Castro v Pedro Vicente Scharbaai
• Elnur Abduraimov v Manuel Correa

How do the pair match up?

The Mexican fighter from Guadalajara, Canelo, stands at 5ft 7 ½ in tall and has a reach of 70 ½ inches.

He has fought in Welterweight, light middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. He has competed in 60 fights altogether, winning 57 and drawing two. 39 of his 57 wins have come via delivering a knockout blow.

‘Cinnamon’, as he is sometimes known, fights in an orthodox stance.

The 31-year-old Russian fighter Dmitry Bivol is 6ft tall and has a reach of 72 inches. He fights in an Orthodox stance and has fought a total of 19 fights, remaining undefeated. He has won 11 of his fights by knockout.

What are the odds?

The odds are courtesy of Betfair:

• Canelo to win: 1/5
• Bivol to win: 7/2
• Draw: 16/1

What has been said?

Ahead of the fight, Canelo has said: “ When you see the best fighter go up and down a weight class and beat all the champions? I think nobody, and I try to do my best. For boxing, for me, for my legacy.

“Dmitry’s a really good boxer. He’s a solid champion at 175. It’s a dangerous fight. I like it, I love that kind of challenge. I really like it. But I believe in my abilities, and I’m strong too. So I’m confident in that, but it’s gonna be a really good fight.”

Bivol has said: “Canelo can spar against aliens and that doesn’t change anything. I’ve also done it with cruiserweights or heavyweights as well. The truth is, it doesn’t matter in the least, because in the end it’s just sparring.

“I will try my best to make a good fight.

“I will try to win and I trust all my skills to make it a great fight for everyone out there.”