Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev: Betting preview and best bets

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Canelo Alvarez is set to challenge Sergey Kovalev for his WBO light heavyweight title Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Here's everything you need to know about the bout from a betting perspective.

Odds

This will be the second consecutive fight in which Canelo's laying plenty of chalk. Back in May, the Guadalajara, Mexico native was -500 over Daniel Jacobs and responded with a win via unanimous decision. For Saturday's contest, Alvarez is a -425 favorite over Kovalev, who's +325. Oddsmakers are expecting a lengthy bout, with the match going nine rounds or more set north of -200.

Boxing props

Method of victory

Alvarez by decision (-110)
Alvarez by KO, TKO, or DQ (+180)
Kovalev by KO, TKO, or DQ (+550)
Kovalev by decision (+750)
Draw (+2000)

Does the bout go the distance?

Yes (-140)
No (+110)

Round betting

Alvarez in Round 1 (+5000)
Alvarez in Round 2 (+3300)
Alvarez in Round 3 (+2800)
Alvarez in Round 4 (+2200)
Alvarez in Round 5 (+2000)
Alvarez in Round 6 (+1800)
Alvarez in Round 7 (+1600)
Alvarez in Round 8 (+1800)
Alvarez in Round 9 (+2000)
Alvarez in Round 10 (+2200)
Alvarez in Round 11 (+2800)
Alvarez in Round 12 (+3300)

Kovalev in Round 1 (+8000)
Kovalev in Round 2 (+6600)
Kovalev in Round 3 (+5000)
Kovalev in Round 4 (+5000)
Kovalev in Round 5 (+4000)
Kovalev in Round 6 (+4000)
Kovalev in Round 7 (+4000)
Kovalev in Round 8 (+4000)
Kovalev in Round 9 (+5000)
Kovalev in Round 10 (+5000)
Kovalev in Round 11 (+6600)
Kovalev in Round 12 (+8000)

Matchup

Alvarez is rated as the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter by Ring Magazine. The 28-year-old's only blemish on his astounding 51-1-2 overall record came back in September 2013 at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who won via majority decision. Since then, Alvarez has ripped off 10 wins and a draw, including five victories via decision and five via knockout. He's making the jump up two classes, though, and we're going to find out if he can withstand the power from Kovalev.

"Even though Canelo looks the part of a light heavyweight, he's still going to have to absorb the light heavyweight power, especially from a crushing puncher like Kovalev," former boxer and current DAZN analyst Sergio Mora told theScore on Thursday. "So we're not going to find out until Canelo gets hit - and he will get hit, because even though his head movement has gotten better, he's not the greatest defensive wizard out there - how he's going to react."

Ring Magazine bills Kovalev, 36, as the No. 2 fighter in the light heavyweight class, behind only Artur Beterbiev. After dropping a pair of bouts to Andre Ward, Kovalev has won four of his last five fights, with three of those victories coming via knockout. Over his 10-year career, he's posted a record of 34-3-1.

Best bet

Alvarez by decision (-110)

Alvarez has seen four of his last five bouts come via decision, with the lone outlier coming in the form of a KO over Rocky Fielding back in December 2018. Mora also believes Alvarez will attack low and work his way up as the fight progresses, resulting in a Canelo victory.

"Everyone's saying 'body, body.' Yeah, but you can also hurt your opponent to the body, and that's when you open up to the head, and it's goodnight from there. Anthony Yarde hurt Kovalev to the body and almost had him out with (his) right hands up top. So I think Canelo, once he gets his attention downstairs and Kovalev starts guarding those ribs, the head might open up."

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.