LAS VEGAS – The prevailing perception is that Canelo Alvarez is a far fresher fighter than Sergey Kovalev.

The Mexican superstar is seven years younger than Kovalev. The 29-year-old Alvarez has never been knocked out, either, whereas Andre Ward and Eleider Alvarez have stopped and knocked out Kovalev since June 2017.

Kovalev gave even more credibility to this theory Wednesday, when he acknowledged another advantage for his shorter challenger. The defending WBO light heavyweight champion conceded that getting down to his division’s limit of 175 pounds is much more of a struggle for him than for Alvarez.

That’s among the reason Kovalev called this the most dangerous fight of his career while discussing it with reporters prior to their final press conference at MGM Grand.

“Because he’s younger,” Kovalev said. “He’s very talented. Right now, he’s very dangerous because he’s not losing the weight. When you’re not losing the weight, you’re not losing the energy. He’s very dangerous right now. He has very, very good technique. But we’re working, too, against him. And right now, I have a great team, and I’m ready.”

The 6-foot Kovalev is four inches taller than Alvarez, who’ll box above the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds for the first time in his 14-year pro career.

Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) said this week that he anticipates weighing no more than 180 pounds once they enter the ring Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The three-division champion thinks Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) will out-weigh him by at least 10 pounds when the opening bell sounds for a 12-round, 175-pound championship match DAZN will stream live.

Kovalev thinks he’ll be “seven to 10 pounds” heavier than Alvarez on fight night.

Regardless, Alvarez feels much more energetic this week than when he has to get down to 160 pounds for middleweight title fights.

“I feel better, stronger,” said Alvarez, who’s listed as a 4-1 favorite over Kovalev. “Obviously, I’m happier because I’m eating comfortably.”

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