LAS VEGAS – Sergey Kovalev towered over Canelo Alvarez as they stood face-to-face Friday afternoon at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

At 6 feet even, the WBO light heavyweight champion stands four full inches taller than Alvarez. The stouter challenger clearly was the thicker fighter, though, when he flexed on the stage before an adoring pro-Alvarez crowd.

Alvarez officially weighed 174½ pounds when he stepped on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s scale. That was a career-high for the 29-year-old Alvarez, who began his career as a junior welterweight 14 years ago.

The 36-year-old Kovalev, who has been a light heavyweight throughout his 10-year pro career, initially was overweight.

He weighed 176 pounds the first time he stepped on the scale. Kovalev then took off his necklace, yet he still weighed 175½ pounds.

After stripping naked, he got on the scale at 175¼ pounds. The NSAC gave him one hour to lose the additional quarter pound required to get down to the light heavyweight limit.

Kovalev needed only a few minutes, though, to get back on the scale at 175 pounds even.

If Kovalev wouldn’t have made weight, he would’ve been stripped of the WBO light heavyweight title. In that scenario, Alvarez still would’ve been afforded the chance to win that title.

Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs), who’ll make his debut in the light heavyweight division, and Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) will square off Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Alvarez, of Guadalajara, Mexico, is listed as a 4-1 favorite over Kovalev, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, at MGM Grand’s sports book.

For Alvarez, it’s an opportunity to become a world champion in a fourth weight class. For Kovalev, it’s a chance to beat an elite opponent who’s generally recognized as one of the top three boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport.

DAZN will stream Alvarez-Kovalev as the main event of a nine-bout card. The streaming service’s coverage of the undercard is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT.

Below are the official weights for each of the undercard fights from Friday’s weigh-in:

Ryan Garcia (18-0, 15 KOs), Victorville, California, 135 pounds vs. Romero Duno (21-1, 16 KOs), Cotabato City, Philippines, 135 pounds, 12 rounds for the vacant WBC silver and NABO lightweight titles.

Seniesa Estrada (17-0, 7 KOs), East Los Angeles, California, 110½ pounds vs. Marlen Esparza (7-0, 1 KO), Houston, 111 pounds, 10 rounds for the vacant WBA interim women’s flyweight title.

Blair Cobbs (12-0-1, 8 KOs), Las Vegas, 147 pounds vs. Carlos Ortiz (11-4, 11 KOs), Torreon, Mexico, 146 pounds, 10 rounds for the vacant NABF welterweight title.

Evan Holyfield (pro debut), Atlanta, 154 pounds vs. Nick Winstead (0-1), Abita Springs, Louisiana, 156 pounds, 4 rounds, junior middleweights.

Bakhram Murtazaliev (16-0, 13 KOs), Grozny, Russia, 154 pounds vs. Jorge Fortea (20-1-1, 6 KOs), Sueca, Spain, 153½ pounds, 12 rounds, IBF junior middleweight elimination match.

Tristan Kalkreuth (2-0, 2 KOs), Duncanville, Texas, 188 pounds vs. Twon Smith (3-3, 2 KOs), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 188½ pounds, 4 rounds, cruiserweights.

Meirim Nursultanov (12-0, 8 KOs), Merki, Kazakhstan, 160 pounds vs. Cristian Olivas (16-5, 13 KOs), Mexicali, Mexico, 160 pounds, 10 rounds for the USNBC middleweight title.

Bektemir Melikuziev (2-0, 2 KOs), Shoimbek, Uzbekistan, 174½ pounds vs. Clay Collard (4-1-3, 1 KO), Cache Valley, Utah, 171½ pounds, 8 rounds, light heavyweights.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.