Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yıldırım: WBA / WBC Super Heavyweight Championship: Live! | Sport

A team of cleaners in full suits has finished their job of cleaning the ring and Michael Buffer is at the microphone of the ads. The national anthems of Turkey, Mexico and the United States follow and finally the fighters are entering. Here comes the Turkish challenger, who wears a white robe with red trim and beats his heart with his right fist as he greets the crowd.

And now it’s Canelo’s turn. The overwhelming (and betting) crowd favorite heads to the square circle as the full performance of South American reggaeton superstar J Balvin takes the stage. This is what is known in business as flex.

Canelo’s unanimous decision victory over Callum Smith in December ended a 13-month idle period, but the 30-year-old from Guadalajara plans to keep a much more active schedule in 2021. He is expected to have already booked a unification fight on May 8 with OMB head Billy Joe Saunders. His promoter Eddie Hearn hinted at the TV broadcast, saying the ad could arrive as soon as tonight.

“It has been talked about, but there is nothing concrete,” said Alvarez, who was left 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 the next. But yes, we have had preliminary conversations.

“I want to stay active. I like what I do and work out in 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 Alvarez, the biggest boxing star, who has just earned a point against Britain’s Callum Smith to win the WBA and Ring super heavyweight championships and the vacant WBC super middleweight title.

Yıldırım (21-2, 12 KOs) is not expected to offer much resistance. The 29-year-old Turkey player, who has not fallen in boxing since losing the technical decision against Anthony Dirrell two years ago, is down 15-1 and is only here because he is the obligatory rival for the title. Alvarez WBC.

For Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs), there are many risks and little reward until he can advance towards his goal of unifying the belts at 168 pounds against the other two division champions: Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders, owner of the WBO title, and Caleb Plant, the undefeated American who wears the IBF belt.

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

McWilliams Arroyo just stopped substitute Abraham Rodriguez in the fifth round to win the provisional WBC flyweight title in the final of the night with a lower card, which means Alvarez and Yıldırım would have to pass their catwalks soon.