Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim First Faceoff Ahead Of Saturday

Canelo Alvarez and mandatory challenger for the WBC super-middleweight title Avni Yildirim have gotten their first faceoff underway, and it honestly surprised some people.

That would be because Yildirim, who’s expected to lose this fight hands down, appeared a bit larger than the pound-for-pound king himself.

This was also the case in Canelo’s last bout, where he defeated the 6’3” Callum Smith, who also had an eight-inch reach advantage on him.

Yildirim stands 5’11” and one-half inch, while Canelo is just 5’8”, but they have a similar reach of around 70”.

Canelo had the following to say about their upcoming bout this weekend while at the faceoffs of Monday:

“It is an honor for me fighting in such an important stadium. Without question, it is great motivation. In our last fight, 12,000 were allowed, and it sounded as if the stadium was full.”

He continued: “Yildirim is a strong fighter, always pressing and ready for battle. Obviously, we all know I have better boxing skills, but one never knows. One punch can change and ruin everything. But we are ready.”

Many of us were left wondering why promoters have decided to make this bout, when Canelo is the very best in the sport, and Yildirim is coming off a loss.

Actually, Yildirim hasn’t won a fight since September of 2018. That’s two-and-a-half years.

Yildirim’s last fight was in February of 2019, where he was defeated by Anthony Dirrell via technical decision at the end of round ten.

Dirrell in turn lost his title to David Benavidez in his next fight, and Benavidez in turn lost his title for not making weight for his fight with Yildirim.

That’s where a 21-2, 29-year-old talent from Turkey that’s coming off a defeat comes into play. Not to mention, Canelo has expressed interest in four bouts this year.

Yildirim is the mandatory challenger, who will also be challenging for Canelo’s WBA & Ring Magazine titles as well. This is a filler fight to what could potentially go down later this year.

That potential fight is Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders.

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