Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol: Eddie Hearn expects Russian to be 'a tough fight' for the Mexican

Eddie Hearn is adamant Dmitry Bivol won’t be an easy fight for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The Mexican superstar, 31, added Caleb Plant’s name to his resume last November with a spectacular 11th-round knockout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Canelo Alvarez‘s career – in which he’s only lost once to Floyd Mayweather – has seen him compared to those who came before him including Julio Cesar Chavez and Juan Manuel Marquez.

But Hearn insists he won’t have it all his own way against the Russian.

When discussing Canelo’s upcoming clash with Bivol, he told iFL TV: “This guy is the biggest star in the sport of boxing.

“It’s a tough fight this weekend. We just did the head to head, it’s a really tough fight against Dmitry Bivol. You saw a thriller last weekend and you’re going to see another thriller on DAZN.

“I think [Bivol] against [Artur] Beterbiev is an incredible fight, but the thing about Beterbiev is he’s old, he’s also a huge puncher.

“You saw him go down against Callum Johnson. Dmitry Bviol is fresh, he’s never really had a tough fight, never been down on the canvas. Never been close to defeat. 

“Boxed Joe Smith, beat him easily, he’s another world champion. Boxed Jean Pascal, in his prime, easy fight. It’s all about how good Dmitry Bivol is, because if you’re not a pound for pound great, you’re not going to beat Canelo Alvarez.

“A young fresh light heavyweight who could be levels above what he’s had to show.

“I do believe you’ll get a thrilling fight. You see the size of the light heavyweights against him. He’s taking incredible challenges, but he lives to do it.”

It comes after experienced trainer Joel Diaz backed Bivol to spring a big shock against Alvarez.

Diaz reckons Bivol will be looking to make a statement on May