The world's No. 1 boxer Canelo Alvarez says he's ready to challenge himself by stepping up a division this weekend, when he'll look to pry the WBA light-heavyweight belt from Dmitry Bivol in Las Vegas. 

"I like that kind of challenge because I just want to make history. This kind of challenge is going to put me in the top... in the books of history of boxing, so I feel alive when I have this kind of challenge. I respect the boxing skill of Dmitry Bivol but it's my time. I feel in my prime and I enjoy these kind of moments."

Should Alvarez win, it will only add to a legacy that has seen the 31-year-old relentlessly seek out title opportunities from the middleweight limit of 160-pounds, through super middleweight (168-pounds), and beyond to 175-pounds in the last four years alone.

In the years since, Alvarez has forged a career in which he's run a gauntlet that has included some of the biggest and greatest names in the entire sport.

Though he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, he has since defeated Miguel Cotto, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.

Victory this weekend would be only his second victory in the light heavyweight class, and it would come against one of the most skilled boxers in the division.

Bivol is unbeaten after 19 pro bouts and enters the ring this weekend having taken far less damage than the battle-worn Kovalev, the only other fighter Alvarez defeated at 175-pounds.