The Canelo Alvarez roadshow continues this weekend as he steps into the familiar bright lights of Las Vegas to take on Dmitry Bivol in what could well be his toughest test since a prime Gennady Golovkin.
A genuinely competitive match-up for the sport's No 1 isn't the easiest find; he demolished Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant one-by-one to etch his name in boxing folklore after setting out on a quest for super-middleweight domination.
But in WBA (Super) light-heavyweight champion Bivol, a legacy-hungry Canelo, who stands at just 5ft 8in, finds himself against a legitimate 175lb champion coming into his prime, one who is hell-bent on claiming boxing's most rewarding scalp.
Canelo Alvarez (left) and Dmitry Bivol (right) go head-to-head this weekend in Las Vegas
Canelo is hunting more glory after becoming undisputed super-middleweight champion
To be clear, this is a challenge Canelo personally chose; in opting to sign a two-fight deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, a deal that will see him fight Golovkin in September if he wins, the Mexican turned down a £100million package by PBC to stay in the 168lb division and defend his newly-claimed jewels.
Yet, as Canelo embarks on a new journey to undisputed, having outlined his intention to steamroll through another division, there are some who believe he could fall at the first hurdle.
Included is supremely confident Bivol, who after seven successful defences of his WBA crown faces by far the biggest test of his young professional career.
Though the betting odds may tell you otherwise, there are plenty of viable arguments to make for Bivol - the significantly bigger man at 6ft - ahead of Saturday night's battle.
The 31-year-old Russian, albeit coming in with just 19 fights on his pro record, was as experienced as they come upon turning over into the pro ranks in 2014, winning a staggering 268 of his 283 bouts as an amateur.
Included in his list of accolades are two U17 World Championships, two Russian national amateur championships and a World Combat Games gold medal - and his pedigree and expert fundamentals are immediately evident each and every time he takes to the ring.
It's these fundamentals which could cause Canelo problems this weekend; his thudding jab, sharp right hand and intelligent movement will certainly give the Mexican food for thought in the squared circle.
Bivol puts his WBA (Super) light-heavyweight belt on the line against the pound-for-pound No 1
A 6ft tall Bivol comes into the bout with a significant height advantage over a 5ft 8in Canelo
What Canelo likes to face is a fighter willing to engage, willing to stand and trade, willing to exhaust themselves while the defensively-savvy fighter slowly but surely breaks them down as he steadily ups the tempo.
What Canelo doesn't like - if there is such a thing - is a fighter who can make him miss, a fighter capable of staying on the outside, able to avoid his power punches and negate his energy-sapping pressure.
We've seen examples of this perhaps just a handful of times throughout the Mexican's career, with only Floyd Mayweather holding a victory over Canelo - and that came when he was 23.
On that night, down all the way at super-welterweight, Mayweather proved too elusive, as a hapless Canelo simply couldn't find the target. 'I didn't know how to get him - it's extremely simple,' he said after the fight. 'We tried to catch him but he's a great fighter, very intelligent. There was no solution for him.'
We've also seen Canelo struggle in patches against Amir Khan, who he eventually knocked out with one punch, Saunders, who also suffered a stoppage defeat, and Erislandy Lara, who he marginally defeated by split decision in 2014.
It should be noted, though, that while Canelo cut a frustrated figure against Mayweather and Lara - two fights now long in the past - he was never in any danger against Khan or Saunders, and ultimately, certainly in his mind, the result was always foregone conclusion.
Canelo's only defeat came against Floyd Mayweather Jr back in 2013 when he was just 23
Canelo struggled at times against Billy Joe Saunders (left) and Amir Khan (right) but claimed stoppage victories in both
Nevertheless, Bivol does have the tools to make this a long, uncomfortable evening for Canelo.
You could point towards Bivol's rather lackluster victory over Craig Richards in Manchester last year and make a case for a Canelo walkover. But Richards is certainly no mug, and in truth it was a pretty comfortable evening for the Russian.
Richards has recently explained what it's like being in the ring with Bivol, insisting Canelo isn't in for an easy night.
'Canelo won't be able to close the distance as easily as he does with other people,' Richards told talkSPORT. 'Bivol always throws when he can, he's very busy with his hands and he's a sharp shooter, so it won't be an easy task for Canelo.'
More notably, Bivol breezed past former world champion Jean Pascal in 2018, and though getting clipped and hurt against Joe Smith Jr, ultimately strolled his way to victory. He
