For the first time in boxing’s four-belt era, two undisputed male champions are set to face off. Undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo will jump up two weight classes to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a Showtime pay-per-view on Saturday night.
Alvarez has been one of the biggest stars in boxing for nearly his entire career, moving between weight classes and collecting world championships while staying more active than most of his contemporaries. Some have become concerned over recent fights that Alvarez is on the back side of his career as he has been less impressive than normal.
Charlo has not been nearly as active as Alvarez but has proven himself as a great fighter and collected all four world championships at junior middleweight by beating Brian Castano in his most recent outing.
It’s an intriguing bout featuring two of the best fighters in the world and it is set to go down on Saturday in Las Vegas.
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With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.
Alvarez vs. Charlo fight card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (c) -400 | Jermell Charlo +310 | Undisputed super middleweight title |
| Yordenis Ugas -280 | Mario Barrios +230 | Welterweight |
| Jesus Ramos -440 | Erickson Lubin +340 | Junior middleweight |
| Elijah Garcia -365 | Armando Resendiz +285 | Middleweight |
With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main event. Here are your pick makers: Brent Brookhouse (Combat sports writer), Brian Campbell (Combat sports writer, co-host of “Morning Kombat”), Shakiel Mahjouri (Combat sports writer), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Wise (senior editor).
Alvarez vs. Charlo picks, predictions
| Main event pick | |
|---|---|
| Brian Campbell | Charlo via majority decision |
| Brent Brookhouse | Alvarez via unanimous decision |
| Shakiel Mahjouri | Alvarez via TKO9 |
| Michael Mormile | Alvarez via TKO11 |
| Brandon Wise | Charlo via split decision |
Campbell: For as much as the size difference between them has been a major narrative with Charlo moving up two divisions, Alvarez was once considered a small middleweight. Charlo is taller, longer and faster. He also has the right mindset needed to take big chances and rely on a combination of aggression and movement to keep Alvarez guessing. Is the great Canelo past his prime at age 33? Not officially. But Charlo represents the type of challenge Alvarez simply hasn’t faced in a long time. Charlo also has shown a penchant for rising to the occasion when the lights are brightest, particularly when the pressure is on and he’s being counted out. This could be a perfect storm to create a close fight and one that Charlo can win if he lives behind his jab and showcases a sturdy enough chin to take Alvarez deep.
Brookhouse: There are a lot of unknowns here. Is Alvarez in full decline at age 33 or were recent performances a result of injuries? Why couldn’t Alvarez stop John Ryder or a faded version of Golovkin? Has Charlo been active enough to be ready to jump up in both weight and level of competition? Personally, I believe Alvarez that he was unable to really work as he wanted in recent camps because of a hand injury that has now been corrected. That would explain the lack of power, the lack of timing and the lack or stopping power. Charlo is a very good fighter, but he’s also a fighter who went through hell against the likes of Brian Castano and Tony Harrison. Alvarez is a different level from those fighters and he’s comfortable at 168. I think Charlo is tricky enough to make it to the cards and good enough to keep from being blown out but not good enough to get the win.
Who wins Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo, and which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn’s best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.
