Canelo Álvarez vs Avni Yıldırım: WBA / WBC super middleweight championship – live! | Sport

Canelo’s victory over Callum Smith by unanimous decision in December ended a 13-month downtime, but the 30-year-old fighter from Guadalajara plans to keep a much busier schedule in 2021. He must have already scheduled a unification fight on May 8 with WBO title Billy Joe Saunders. His prosecutor Eddie Hearn just hinted at this on television, saying the ad could come tonight.

“It has been talked about, but there is nothing concrete,” said Álvarez, who was inactive for most of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a contract dispute. “First I want to go through this challenge and then explore what comes next. But yes, we had preliminary conversations.

“I want to stay active. I like what I do and work out at the gym. Fighting is my life. If all goes well, we would like four fights this year ”.

Hello and welcome to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium for the fight for the super middleweight championship between Canelo Álvarez and Avni Yıldırım. It is the second departure in 70 days for Álvarez, boxing’s biggest star, who is fresh from a one-sided win over Britain’s Callum Smith to win the WBA and Ring super middleweight championships and a vacant super middleweight title. WBC.

Yıldırım (21-2, 12 KOs) is not expected to offer much resistance. The 29-year-old Turk, who has not fought since a technical decision loss to Anthony Dirrell two years ago, is coming off as a 15-1 underdog and is only here because he is the mandatory challenger for Álvarez’s WBC title.

For Álvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs), there is a lot of risk and little reward until he can advance towards his goal of unifying the 168 pound belts against the other two champions in the division: Briton Billy Joe Saunders, owner of the WBO title, and Caleb Plant, the undefeated American who holds the IBF bracelet.

“I respect all the fighters and the challenge that lies ahead,” said Alvarez this week. “I know what Yildirim brings. He is a strong fighter with a strong desire to win. I come with the same mentality to win, do my job and continue to make history. “

McWilliams Arroyo just interrupted late replacement Abraham Rodriguez in the fifth round to win the provisional WBC flyweight title in the final fight of the night tie, which means that Álvarez and Yıldırım should be doing their ringwalks soon.