Canelo Alvarez's reason on fighting Sergey Kovalev: 'He’s the best in his division'

It was assumed Alvarez would have a trilogy bout with Gennadiy Golovkin after he took care of Daniel Jacobs in May. However, Alvarez rebuffed the notion of sharing the ring one more time with his bitter rival. 

When it came down to it, Alvarez wanted to battle only one guy. And that one guy is the person he'll take on Saturday night from the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas in WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. Why did Alvarez choose the three-time 175-pound titleholder instead of Golovkin or other light heavyweights such as WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol or unified champion Artur Beterbiev?

"Because he's the best in his division," Alvarez said at Wednesday's final pre-fight press conference. "He's one of the best. That's why we chose him. To make history by fighting one of the best."

Saturday's contest will be the first time Alvarez has competed at 175 pounds. He has been primarily fighting at middleweight since his November 2015 bout with Miguel Cotto and has had two bouts above 160 pounds: a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a catchweight of 164 pounds in May 2017 and a third-round TKO destruction of Rocky Fielding in December. 

One of the big questions is how Alvarez would feel as he gets to step inside the ring for the first time as a light heavyweight. As the fight rapidly approaches, Alvarez is fresh and ready to go as he looks to win a fourth world title in four different weight classes.

“I feel comfortable, I feel good,” Canelo said. “We’ll see on Saturday how it all goes, but I feel good.

“I’m ready," Alvarez added. "I’m ready to make history. I’m ready for this great fight with Kovalev."