By Miguel Rivera

Light heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Shabranskyy of Ukraine is one of the sparring partners who are assisting Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for his upcoming contest with country rival Julio Cesar Chavez Junior.

Their HBO Pay-Per-View fight is scheduled for May 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight takes place at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds. Canelo is coming up from the junior middleweight limit of 154-pounds, while Chavez Jr. is dropping down from 168.

Chavez Jr., over the last few years, has fought as high as 172-pounds. He has a big height and reach advantage over Canelo.

Shabranskyy very tall himself and has a record of 17 wins, 1 loss and 14 of his triumphs have come by knockout. He suffered his first career defeat last December, when he was stopped by top contender Sullivan Barrera.

In a recent interview, Shabranskyy discussed his sparring sessions with Canelo - and says the Mexican boxer is punching with a lot of power

"We did like six rounds, but for four minutes [in each round]. He's punching like a heavyweight, he looks good," said the Eastern European boxer to Villainfy Media .

But former opponent Alfredo Angulo, who was stopped by Canelo in nine rounds when they fought at a catch-weight of 155-pounds in 2014, does not believe Canelo has that kind of power.

"The truth is that I fought with Canelo and I did not feel that he had that kind of punch. Maybe (because Canelo is gaining weight), he has a bit more of an advantage [in that area], but Chavez is a natural 168-pounder. He just has to take care of himself to get down as low as 164.5-pounds and then hydrate so he is well for the fight," Angulo said.

"They (Canelo's team ) should have called me to box with Canelo. If they want a sparring partner who has the style of Chavez, a Mexican, what other fighter has the style?"