Al Bernstein of The Boxing Channel delivers his Keys to Victory for tonight's Canelo vs Lopez fight on Showtime. We'll have live round-by-round coverage of the event tonight, starting at 9 pm EDT.

[ Staff Picks: Canelo vs Lopez ]

Bernstein's Keys to Victory: Josesito Lopez

1. Fight smart
2. Engage then move
3. Always throw combinations

"He's got to fight smart. That means not standing in front of Canelo for this entire fight. He needs to engage, then move away, throw his punches and pick his spots carefully. And he always has to throw combinations. if he tries to trade one punch at a time with Alvarez, he's going to have a problem."

Bernstein's Keys to Victory: Canelo Alvarez

1. Work the body early
2. Don't be cute
3. Land the right

"For Canelo, he's gotta work the body early against a fighter who, in fact, is coming up to fight him. And don't be cute. And by that, I mean, you're the bigger, stronger man. Go after him, and use your strength and your power. And the right hand, of course, is a terrific weapon for Alvarez, and he needs to use it."

Bernstein's Analysis

"The challenge facing Lopez is immense, primarily because he spent most of his career as a lightweight, fighting around 135 pounds, and only recently has come up to the 147 pound limit. Now for this fight, he's several weight divisions above where he started his pro career. Canelo is a strong 154-pounder, who's likely to move up to 160 pounds pretty soon. Lopez is giving away weight and strength. but the intangible is will, and that's what makes Lopez an intriguing opponent for Canelo, and maybe a difficult one, as well.

"For Canelo, avoiding the upset is one thing, but another is performing well to show that on boxing's center stage, he can, in fact, be a superstar and market his brand, and get one step closer to being the next big thing in boxing."

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