Canelo Álvarez v Avni Yıldırım: WBA / WBC Super Middleweight Championship – live! | Sports

Canelo’s unanimous win over Callum Smith in December ended a 13-month dormant spell, but the 30-year-old from Guadalajara plans to keep a much busier schedule in 2021. He expects to have already booked a May 8 unification match with WBO incumbent Billy Joe Saunders. Its promoter Eddie Hearn just alluded to television, saying the announcement could come immediately tonight.

“There has been talk of this, but nothing concrete,” said Álvarez, who remained inactive for most of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a contractual dispute. “First I want to go through this challenge and then explore what’s next. But yes, we had preliminary discussions.

“I want to stay active. I like what I do and I train 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 tonight’s super-middleweight championship fight between Canelo Álvarez and Avni Yıldırım. It is the second outing in 70 days for Álvarez, the biggest boxing star, who is freshly won by one point over Callum Smith from Great Britain to win the WBA and Super Super Middleweight Championships and the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title.

Yıldırım (21-2, 12 KOs) is not expected to offer much resistance. The 29-year-old from Turkey, who has not entered the pits since losing a technical decision to Anthony Dirrell two years ago, will become a 15-1 underdog and is here only because he is the obligatory challenger of Álvarez’s WBC title.

For Álvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs), there are many risks and few rewards until he can move on to his goal of unifying the belts at 168 lbs against the other two division champions: Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders, who holds WBO title and Caleb Plant, the undefeated American who owns the IBF belt.

“I respect all the fighters and the challenge I face,” Alvarez said this week. “I know what Yildirim brings. He is a strong fighter, with a lot of desire to win. I come with the same mentality of winning, doing my job and continuing to make history. ”

McWilliams Arroyo just stopped late substitute Abraham Rodriguez in the fifth round to win the WBC interim title in the final weight, which means Álvarez and Yıldırım should race briefly.