Longtime WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol will face pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Bivol, who is rated No. 2 by The Ring at 175 pounds, is eager to test his skills against the supremely talented Mexican superstar.

“I am very excited and look forward to this fight,” Bivol (19-0, 11 knockouts) told The Ring through his manager, Vadim Kornilov. “This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills to boxing fans all over the world.”

The 31-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born fighter has made eight successful title defenses, including wins over Jean Pascal (UD 12) and Joe Smith Jr. (UD 12), but he is under no illusions about the outstanding capabilities of his opponent.

“[Canelo] has proved that he is one of the best by being active and beating almost all of his opponents,” said Bivol. “I think Canelo is a great fighter. He is definitely one of the best now and has left a big mark in the history of boxing.”

However, Bivol isn’t overawed and is positively relishing the biggest opportunity of his seven-and-a-half year pro career.

“I believe in my skills,” he said. “I have beaten everybody that I have fought in my career, I believe that I can beat Canelo as well.

“Every boxer has their strengths and their weaknesses. Nobody is perfect. My goal is to focus on my strengths and use them to my advantage.”

As always, Bivol has dedicated himself fully in the gym and will enter the ring in excellent fighting shape.

“I know that I have to be ready for this fight, 100 percent,” said the defending titleholder. “If I am well prepared, I will win this fight.

“I trained in Indio, California, at the Diaz Brother’s gym. My trainer is Gennadiy Mashyanov, who has been with me since the beginning, and the rest of my team all work together.

“This would be a very big victory. I would be able to prove that I am one of the best in the world today.”

Kornilov, who is famed for his work with Ruslan Provodnikov, Viktor Postol and reigning IBF/WBA 122-pound titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev, is pleased to have procured this opportunity for his fighter.

“We are looking forward to this fight,” said Kornilov. “We already know that Dmitry is one of the best boxers in the world, but this will be an opportunity for Dmitry to prove this to everybody else.”

Canelo vs. Bivol, plus undercard action, will be broadcast on DAZN Pay-Per-View (in the U.S. and Canada). The show is also available via PPV.COM.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright

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