MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS, NV - Denis "Momma's Boy" Douglin served as one of Sergey Kovalev's main sparring partners for his showdown against Canelo Alvarez.  The fight will headline a night of action that will stream live on DAZN.

The super middleweight contender was very impressed with what he saw out of the WBO light heavyweight champion Kovalev in his training camp in Southern California.

One of the key factors in Douglin's opinion will be which fighter is able to close the show strong.  Kovalev has looked fatigued at times throughout his career and Canelo has been known to take rounds off to conserve his energy.

"I think it is going to come down to the wind man. If he can keep the pace for 12 rounds and then with Canelo - we will see how that goes. I think it will be a great fight. I think we are in store for a good fight," Douglin explained.

Most insiders believe that Alvarez's ability to get inside on Kovalev and work around his long powerful jab will play another key role.  Kovalev stands 4" taller than the WBA super middleweight and middleweight champion and enjoys a healthy reach advantage.

Based on his own experience, Douglin believes that Canelo will have a tough time working his way inside.

"I think that is going to be difficult. That is going to be one of the hardest things. He has good range and he is well aware of where he is in the ring at all times. His jab, he keeps perfect distance I think. That is one of his strengths so now Canelo is going to have to try to counter one of his strengths. That is going to be hard to get inside. Ward was able to do it but Ward is a little bigger. It is going to be interesting to see. Canelo is a genius in the ring so it will be interesting to see how well he does," Canelo told BoxingScene.com.

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