Canelo on Fire: Saul Alvarez vs. Avni Yidilrim DAZN Miami Hard Rock Preview

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 

Miami, FL (February 27th, 2021)– Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will defend his World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association Super and Ring Magazine World Super Middleweight titles in a scheduled 12 round main event at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, against Avni Yidilrim on an eight-bout card Saturday night, February 27, 2021, televised by DAZN, Sky Sports, and Mexico Azteca.

 Alvarez, 54-1-2 with 36 knockouts, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is favored to win by eighth or ninth round technical stoppage against the relatively inactive Yidilrim, 21-2 with 21 knockouts, Istanbul, Turkey. Yildirim is tough, and could wage a points war is he is not knocked down, but has been inactive since losing for the WBC World Super Middleweight title in a challenge against Anthony Dirrell on February 23, 2019, two years ago, when the bout went to the scorecards in the tenth round due to an accidental clash of heads three rounds earlier. One judge had it 98-92 Yidilrim. The two other judges had it 96-94 for Dirrell. Yildirim never returned. Dirrell, who lost the WBC title to David Benavidez also returns in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday, February 27, 2021, and is favored to win by 10 round decision over 15-2 Kyrone Davis. The outcome is significant because if Yidilrim loses, and Dirrell wins, Dirrell could get a shot later this year against Canelo in an attempt to win his WBC title back, if not the inactive undefeated ex-champion Benavidez.

On the undercard, 2008 Olympian flyweight McWilliams Arroyo, 20-4 with 15 knockouts, Fajardo, Puerto Rico, is favored to win by 10 round decision over Abraham Rodriguez, 37-2 with 13 knockouts, Tijuana, Mexico. Heavyweight Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang, 22-0 with 17 knockouts, Bloomfield, New Jersey, by way of Zhoukou, China, is favored to win by 10 round decision over southpaw Jerry Forrest, 26-4 with 20 knockouts, Newport News, Virginia. Super middleweight prospect Diego Pacheco, 10-0 with eight knockouts, Los Angeles, California, is favored to win by eight-round decision over Rodolfo Gomez Jr., 14-4-1 with 10 knockouts, A Mexican fighting out of Laredo, Texas. Super middleweight prospect Alexis Espino, 6-0 with four knockouts, Las Vegas, Nevada, is favored to win by six-round decision over 5-3 Ashton Sykes of Columbia, Maryland. 1-0 super featherweight prospect Mark Castro of Fresno, California, is favored to win by four-round decision over 1-2 John Moraga of Phoenix, Arizona. 1-0 super lightweight Aaron Aponte of Florida is favored to win by four-round decision over 6-1 Harry Gigliotti of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Debuting lightweight Keyshawn Davis, Norfolk, Virginia, whose amateur record was 76-12 and was ranked third in the world among amateur lightweights on BoxRec, is favored to win by four rounds decision over 4-2-3 Lester Brown of Nassau, Bahamas.

CANELO VS. YILDIRIM PRESS CONFERENCE & WEIGH-IN VIDEO

TICKETS FOR CANELO VS. YILDIRIM ARE ON SALE NOW FROM TICKETMASTER – TICKETS START AT $55 (PLUS FEES) – FANS CAN VISIT HARDROCKSTADIUM.COM FOR MORE DETAILS

CANELO VS. YILDIRIM FIGHT DATE, START TIME

Date: Saturday, Feb. 27
Coverage starts: 7 p.m. ET (12 a.m. GMT)
Main Event approx. 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. GMT)

The Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim main card starts at 7 p.m. ET (12 a.m. GMT) on Saturday evening, with the challenger and champion expected to make their ring walks at approximately 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. GMT), though that depends on the duration of the night’s earlier fights.

CAN I WATCH CANELO VS. YILDIRIM ON DAZN?

The card will stream live on DAZN in more than 200 countries and territories (excluding Mexico, where it will be shown on TV Azteca). The global sports live streaming platform works with many Internet-connected devices and smart TVs.

QUOTES

Eddie Hearn

“Cannot quite believe that we are promoting an event at the home of the Miami Dolphins this Saturday– the Hard Rock Stadium. The return of the pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez fighting just 8 weeks after unifying the division against Callum Smith in Texas. We are so excited. We are going to have 15,000 people in the building. Huge crowd there.”

“So proud to be here representing DAZN live this weekend. It’s an absolute honor to be working with, in my opinion, the greatest network in boxing right now. These guys have so much to bring you coming up– an unrivaled schedule.”

“One thing we love at Matchroom is giving young fighters the chance to succeed.”

“You look at Canelo Alvarez, and he was just all business up there. He wasn’t really joking around. I think he knows what could lie ahead.”

“What I like about Avni Yilridim is he’s a massive underdog in this fight. But I promise he will come with fire in his belly…This is a dream come true for him. On paper he should be outmatched, out classed and knocked out.”

“I’ve never seen a fighter like Canelo Alvarez upfront. What you’re seeing on Saturday is the best fighter of our generation, and it’s special to see.”

Canelo Alvarez

“I respect all fighters. I respect the challenger that’s in front of me right now. I know he’s a strong fighter. I know he has a lot of tools. I have the same mentality. I’m trying to do my job, and I’m trying to make history.”

“I love being here. I love being in the gym. It’s my life. We’re going to take these fights fight-by-fight, and hopefully I can fight 4 times this year.”
“I’m focused on my rival Saturday. I know right now, this fight is the only one that exists for me, and I’m focused on what I have to do, my job for Saturday.”



Avni Yildirim

“I’m ready to be here. Saturday is a big night for me and for my country, for all the fans. It’s a big chance for me, a big chance for my country. Everyone is waiting for the WBC belt. Maybe after the world championship title, boxing will get so big in my country.”

“He’s a big champion, everyone knows that. I’m ready for the world championship title for the big chance. It’s my time. Saturday, for everyone, it’s showtime.”

Joel Diaz

“It was a great experience for me when I was called by Avni’s manager in regard to this great opportunity. Flew into Turkey, started training over there. Everything was great, we’ve been putting in some great work. I believe we can do something with Avni. If not, I wouldn’t be here.”

“He’s hungry, he has a whole country behind him, and he wants to make a legacy of his own being the only Turkish fighter right now at this moment. He’s fighting hard, he’s excited about the opportunity and he’s taking advantage of it.”

“Putting a plan against Canelo Alvarez for me, is really tough because Canelo is not an easy fighter to face. Like every coach, like every fighter we have to take risks. We’re up for the challenge.”

Eddy Reynoso

“We were very happy after that fight in December and very happy after the results with Oscar Valdez. We know we have a tough fight against Yildirim, he’s trained by Joel. We know it’s not going to be easy but we’re gonna give a good fight.”

Zhilei Zhang

“I just want to say thanks to everybody who comes here. Thank you, Eddie Hearn, Matchroom and DAZN.  All I want to say is I’m ready to go.”

“I go one step at a time. I never look past him. I’ll see what happens after the fight and we’ll go from there. But right now,  my focus is Saturday night.”

Jerry Forrest

“I had to make sure I took the proper steps to be the best I can be in this fight. That’s what I’ve been trying to produce this entire camp. Be ready, focus and keep my eyes on the prize.”

“He’s a great fighter. I mean, when you’re talking about Olympic fighters, this man is a good fighter. We had to come up with a game plan. We have a game plan that we plan on sticking to. When you’re fighting top guys like Zhilei Zhang you have to be ready.”

Diego Pacheco

“It’s been a hell of a start to my career so far, and I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy to step up and take it to the next level in my career.”

“I was supposed to be on the Canelo and Smith Monday card. Due to things I was going through, I was forced to pull out of the show. That was the past and I’m here now and I’m ready to go this Saturday.”

Rodolfo Gomez

“It’s a good opportunity for me, but I believe that I have all the right tools to come out victorious in this one. I know he’s gonna try his best. I expect his A-game and I’m gonna bring my best A-game, so the fans can expect a great fight.”

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase my skills. Get a contract ready, man because I’m bringing it. I know he’s a great prospect. I see a lot of similarities in our styles, and I think it’s going to be great for the fans.”

Marc Castro

“Let’s get this party started. I’m happy to be here and feel at home right here with Matchroom and DAZN. Eddie’s doing the best and he has Canelo. Canelo is pound-for-pound don’t get it twisted nobody. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

“It was an unbelievable adrenaline rush, because I look up to Canelo a lot. The adrenaline rush– you just have to stay calm.”



Keyshawn Davis

“Honestly, I felt like I was ready to go pro when I was 19.”

“I was trying to wait for the Olympics. I wanted to get this gold medal. But when this pandemic hit, things kind of changed and things weren’t really certain for me. So coming into 2021, I realized all these big fighters had all their fights in the pandemic. I felt like if I would’ve took my opportunity to fight in 2020, my pro debut would’ve been watered down.”

“Saturday night, they should just expect a great performance. I’ve been giving yall great performances throughout my entire amateur career whether it was sparring a big name or going internationally and fighting.”

Aaron Aponte

“We’re ready for the opponent. He’s a good, strong opponent. He’s a tough opponent. It’s only my second fight but I’m gonna get the job done and I’m gonna knock him out.”

“Miami is a huge opportunity for boxing. We have tremendous boxing fans here. Everyone comes out, shows out.”

“I always dreamed about fighting here as being here from Miami, I always dreamed about being in the Dolphins stadium.”

Alexis Espino

“I can’t even explain how frustrating it is. It’s so frustrating getting to a fight. You know, you pull up with all this adrenaline just to tell you you have to go home. It’s mad frustrating but it I think those are the times it makes you appreciate moments like this. You sit up here and you’re like ‘Damn this feels good.'”

“I’m very blessed to get this opportunity again thanks to Eddie Hearn, thanks to God. I was going through a whole lot of camps and I stayed down. I kept on training. I didn’t let those hiccups pull me down.”

“My opponent seems strong and he’s been talking a lot so I’m really excited to put on a show. I’m sure he’s going to bring out the best of me and that’s what we’ve been training for.”

Here are the weights from the Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim weigh-in.

  • Canelo Alvarez (167.6) vs. Avni Yildirim (167.6) for Alvarez’s WBC/WBA Super Middleweight titles
  • McWilliams Arroyo (112) vs. Abraham Rodriguez (TBA) for the interim WBC flyweight title
  • Zhang Zhilei (256.2) vs. Jerry Forrest (236); Heavyweight
  • Diego Pacheco (168) vs. Rodolfo Gomez Jr. (167); Super Middleweight
  • Alexis Espino (167.8) vs. Ashton Sykes (164.2); Super Middleweight
  • Keyshawn Davis (136.6) vs. Lester Brown (134.6); Junior Welterweight
  • Aaron Aponte (139.8) vs. Harry Gigliotti (139.2); Junior Welterweight








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