Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight predictions, odds, undercard, Showtime Boxing, expert picks – CBS Sports

For the first time in boxing’s four-belt era, two undisputed male champions will face each other. Undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo will move up two weight classes to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on a Showtime pay-per-view on Saturday night.

Alvarez has been one of the biggest stars in boxing for almost his entire career. He moved between weight classes and won world titles while remaining more active than most of his contemporaries. Some fear, given his recent fights, that Alvarez is on the decline in his career as he has been less impressive than usual.

Charlo hasn’t been nearly as active as Alvarez, but has proven to be a great fighter, winning all four world junior middleweight championships, defeating Brian Castano in his last outing.

It’s a fascinating fight featuring two of the best fighters in the world that will finish on Saturday in Las Vegas.

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With so much going on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds before getting into our staff’s predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.

Alvarez vs. Charlo fight card, odds

With such a big main event coming up, the CBS Sports team has made predictions and recommendations for the main event. Here are your favorites: Brent Brookhouse (martial arts journalist), Brian Campbell (martial arts journalist, co-host of “Morning Kombat”), Shakiel Mahjouri (martial arts journalist), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Wise (senior editor). ).

Alvarez vs Charlo tips, predictions

Campbell: Although the size difference between them plays an important role and Charlo is moving up two divisions, Alvarez was once considered a small middleweight. Charlo is bigger, longer and faster. He also has the right mindset to take advantage of big opportunities and rely on a combination of aggression and movement to keep Alvarez guessing. Is the great Canelo past his prime at 33 years old? Not official. But Charlo represents the kind of challenge Alvarez hasn’t faced in a long time. Charlo has also shown a penchant for rising to opportunities when the lights are brightest, especially when the pressure is on and he’s being counted out. This could be a perfect storm to set up a close fight and one that Charlo can win if he lives behind his jab and shows a chin strong enough to hit Alvarez deep.

Brookhouse: There are many unknowns here. At age 33, is Alvarez in complete decline or have recent performances been due to injuries? Why couldn’t Alvarez stop John Ryder or a faded version of Golovkin? Was Charlo active enough to make a leap forward in both weight and competition level? Personally, I believe Alvarez hasn’t been able to really work the way he wanted to in recent camps due to a now-resolved hand injury. That would explain the lack of power, the lack of timing and the lack of stopping power. Charlo is a very good fighter, but he is also a fighter who has been through hell against people like Brian Castano and Tony Harrison. Alvarez is a different level than those fighters and is comfortable at 168. I think Charlo is tricky enough to get in the cards and good enough to stay out of contention, but not good enough to get the win.

Mahjouri: Alvarez hasn’t shown his finishing instinct lately and Charlo has never been stopped. On the surface, this doesn’t bode well for my prediction. But Alvarez will step into the ring for the second time since surgically repairing his left wrist and face an opponent moving up two weight classes. Alvarez knocked out John Ryder and broke his nose in his last outing. Ryder certainly isn’t cut from the same cloth as Charlo, but he’s a bigger athlete with a strong chin.

For many promising boxers, the knockout rate decreases as the level of competition increases. That wasn’t Charlo’s story. In fact, Charlo only grew into his power over time. Charlo deserves credit for that, but it’s hard to imagine him using his power to expand two divisions against Alvarez’s diamond chin. Charlo has a phenomenal left hook that he’ll almost certainly land, but I don’t think he’ll use it to knock out the great Canelo at this point in their respective careers. Charlo needs to have a perfect game against Alvarez and I don’t think he has the elite experience to do it. I expect Alvarez to take the lead in midfield and either capitalize on a desperate Charlo late or make a decision.

Way: I’ve just been burned enough times challenging the underdog in a major boxing match to know that this is a risky endeavor. But this fight feels more evenly matched than the line suggests, and these two feel like they could be the perfect pairing to produce the kind of fight we were hoping for from Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford. Alvarez has looked slower in his last few outings, and whether it’s due to the wear and tear he’s suffered from so many fights as a professional or from gaining weight and taking harsher punishment, that’s a fact that’s hard to ignore. Charlo, meanwhile, had time to recover and prepare for an opponent he has been challenging for so many years. Charlo has the foot and hand speed necessary to trouble Alvarez, and it will be interesting to see how the judges rate the rounds in a decidedly professional Alvarez arena. I’ll side with the dog on getting more work done, but as my colleague Brent Brookhouse noted, a tie certainly seems to be in play here.

Who will win Canelo Alvarez against Jermell Charlo and which support should not be missing? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn’s best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who netted his followers nearly $4,000 in winnings, and find out.