Canelo Alvarez is jumping two weight classes, but his opponent, Sergey Kovalev, was the one who had trouble making weight Friday.
Kovalev, the WBO light heavyweight champion, was one pound over the 175-pound limit when he initially stepped on the scale. He removed his necklace to lose a half-pound and his boxers to drop another quarter, but that wasn't enough.
He had an hour to lose the remaining quarter-pound before being stripped of his title, but he ended the suspense early: Less than 10 minutes later, he returned to the scale (without a necklace or boxers) and made weight at 175 pounds.
Join DAZN to watch Canelo vs. Kovalev & 100+ fight nights a year
Kovalev, a 36-year-old Russian, is in his third stint as WBO light heavyweight champion. Alvarez's last fight was two weight classes lower. That adds an extra bit of intrigue to the weigh-in, which could provide significant insight into the effectiveness of Alvarez's training, and his strategy for the fight.
Pound-for-pound, Alvarez is the better, more accomplished fighter. That's reflected in his record (52-1-2, 35 KOs) compared to Kovalev's (34-3-1, 29 KOs), as well as in their relative star power. But the ambitious attempt to jump two divisions makes the fight harder to predict.
If Alvarez beats Kovalev, it will be the Mexican's fourth weight class he's won a world championship in.
Alvarez and Kovalev, along with the rest of the undercard for the Nov. 2 fight, will weigh-in beginning Friday at 5 p.m. ET. You can watch a live stream of the weigh-ins from Las Vegas below, where you'll also find updated results as fighters up and down the card hop on the scale.
MORE: Read the latest Canelo vs. Kovalev news at SN's fight HQ
Canelo vs. Kovalev weigh-in results
| Fighter | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Sergey Kovalev | 175.25 (limit 175), reweigh 175 |
| Canelo Alvarez | 174.5 |
| Ryan Garcia | 135 |
| Romero Duno | 135 |
| Clay Collard | 171.5 |
| Bektemir Melikuziev | 174.5 |
| Bakhram Murtazaliev | 154 |
| Jorge Fortea | 153.5 |
| Seniesa Estrada | 110.5 |
| Marlen Esparza | 111 |
| Blair Cobbs | 147 |
| Carlos Ortiz | 146 |
| Tristan Kalkreuth | 188 |
| Twon Smith | 188.5 |
| Meiirim Nursultanov | 160 |
| Cristian Olivas | 160 |
| Evan Holyfield | 154 |
| Nick Winstead | 156 (limit 155) |
You can watch a replay of the weigh-ins for Canelo Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev and the full undercard below.
What time is the Canelo vs. Kovalev fight?
- 7:30 p.m. ET (prelim) | 9 p.m. ET (main card)
The undercard for Canelo vs. Kovalev starts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET and the main event between Canelo Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev after that. Expect Alvarez and Kovalev to make their ring walks around midnight ET, 9 p.m. PT.
Canelo vs. Kovalev undercard
| Matchup | Class | Belt |
| Sergey Kovalev vs. Canelo Alvarez | Light Heavyweight | WBO |
| Ryan Garcia vs. Romero Duno | Lightweight | ... |
| Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Jorge Fortea | Jr. Middleweight | ... |
| Seniesa Estrada vs. Marlen Esparza | Women's Flyweight | WBA (Interim) |
| Blair Cobbs vs. Carlos Ortiz | Welterweight | ... |
| Tristan Kalkreuth vs. Twon Smith | Cruiserweight | ... |
| Meiirim Nursultanov vs. Cristian Olivas | Middleweight | ... |
| Evan Holyfield vs. Nick Winstead | Jr. Middleweight | WBO |
| Clay Collard vs. Bektemir Melikuziev | Light Heavyweight | ... |