John Dennen considers what to make of Canelo Alvarez boxing Avni Yildirim in February
FIRSTLY, it should be said, Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim is not a fair fight. Alvarez is better than him in every department. The Mexican has a far higher skill level, better power, resilience, experience and has fought vastly better opposition. There is no way Yildirim is going to win this fight. In fact it’s a mismatch. Chris Eubank Jnr destroyed him in the World Boxing Super Series. Yildirim went the distance with lowly Ryan Ford, scraped past Lolenga Mock and lost a technical decision to Anthony Dirrell last time out.
So why, on February 27, will Yildirim be fighting Canelo Alvarez at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida?
Well, Canelo has to take it, if he wants to retain the WBC super-middleweight title which he holds alongside the WBA crown that he won most recently from Callum Smith. Yildirim is the WBC’s mandatory challenger. So, while it is baffling that the WBC have Yildirim in this position, Canelo clearly remains on his mission to unify world titles at 168lbs. In essence, by taking his mandatory in February, far sooner than expected and hot on the heels of his last contest, which only took place on December 19, it clears the path for Alvarez potentially to box at least twice more in 2021 on his accustomed dates in May and September.
“Avni Yildirim is a good boxer and I know we will put on an exciting fight,” Canelo maintains (it might be exciting but expect it to be one-sided). “I’m very glad that we are able to bring this event to Miami, a short distance from where my hero, Muhammad Ali, trained. February 27 will be a great night for the sport.”
This February outing can be viewed as a bonus fight, a public workout even. Given that it’s not on pay-per-view, DAZN will broadcast outside of Mexico for a much more reasonable price, this is forgivable as it ought to lead Alvarez to a more meaningful fight next. It’s part of a two-fight deal with Matchroom and so should set up a unification clash with WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders after this.
“On February 27, we take the next step in our journey to unify the super-middleweight division,” said Eddy Reynoso, Sport and Talent director at Canelo Promotions and Canelo’s trainer. “We will be facing our WBC mandatory opponent, Avni YildirIm. We are very happy with the alliance we have with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom to put on this bout together, especially in a new venue for us.”
Hardly a must-watch fight in the context of Canelo’s glittering career but it should herald a more active year than usual for the Mexican star.
