Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will make a quick return and defend the WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring super middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Alvarez is returning to action just two months after dominating Callum Smith in a unanimous decision victory that earned him the super middleweight titles. Yildirim is relatively unknown but is recognized as the No. 1 contender by the WBC. He doesn’t pose nearly the threat that Smith did, and the oddsmakers have recognized this. William Hill Sportsbook has Alvarez as a significant favorite and almost a near-lock to retain his titles.
Considering that Alvarez hasn’t lost a fight since dropping a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather more than seven years ago, it’s no surprise that he’s the favorite in this bout. As for Yildirim, the Turkish fighter does sport a 21-2 record and he lost a spirited technical decision to Anthony Dirrell in 2019, but his knockout loss to Chris Eubank Jr. sticks out like a sore thumb.
Canelo aims to put his mandatory title defense to rest and move on to a potential unification bout against WBO titleholder Billy Joe Saunders in May.
Sporting News is tracking live fight updates and round-by-round highlights from Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim and the undercard. Follow below for complete results from the 2021 fight.
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Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim live updates, highlights
10:34 p.m.: Canelo is heading to the ring with a performance from pop star J Balvin. Dancers and pyro set the stage for boxing’s pound for pound king.
10:30 p.m.: Avni Yildirim has made his way to the ring. He says that Canelo has never fought a Turkish warrior before. Not sure if that will matter but it sounds good.
10:24 p.m.: We have become accustomed to long waits whenever Canelo fights. After over 30 minutes, we’re finally at the national anthems. The main event is (finally) upon us!
9:50 p.m.: It’s time for the main event! Canelo Alvarez is set to defend his WBC, WBA (Super) and The Ring super-middleweight titles against WBC #1 contender Avni Yildirim. Few expect Yildirim to be much of a threat but anything can happen. Right?
9:43 p.m.: Mcwilliams Arroyo has claimed the interim WBC title with a fifth-round stoppage. Rodriguez simply couldn’t take the pressure and was getting pummelled from pillar to post. With no conceivable way to win, Rodriguez’s corner stopped the fight to save their fighter from further damage. We’ll get the Arroyo and Julio Cesar Martinez fight as soon as Martinez heals.
9:40 p.m.: As expected, this fight was one-way traffic. It took a minute for Arroyo to figure out Rodriguez but cranked up the pressure in the fourth round to score his first knockdown. Rodriguez is going to need to do something special to avoid getting stopped in the fifth.
9:16 p.m.: The co-main event is up next as McWilliams Arroyo will battle late replacement Abraham Rodriguez for the interim WBC flyweight title. Julio Cesar Martinez broke his hand earlier in the week and Rodriguez flew to Miami on Friday to take his place. Arroyo is fully expected to win but Rodriguez should be commended for stepping up at the last minute.
9:10 p.m.: The hype train for Zhang Zhilei has been derailed as he ends up with a majority draw against Jerry Forrest despite scoring knockdowns in the first three rounds. But the big man was exhausted and allowed Forrest to take over for the second half of the fight. A docked point in the 9th round ended up being the difference-maker with one judge seeing it for Forrest 95-93 and the other two judges having it even at 93-93. Zhang will certainly need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong.
9:07 p.m.: The fight has certainly turned around as Zhang has done next to nothing during the second half of the fight and lost a point in the 9th round while Forrest continues to outwork him. Forrest buzzes Zhang late in the 10th with a combination and has the big man hurt. Zhang is stumbling around the ring with Forrest giving chase. Zhang manages to survive but could we have an upset on our hands?
8:51 p.m.: Zhang dropped Forrest once in the first three rounds but Forrest refuses to go away. He’s clearly being outgunned throughout and continues to press forward. As we close out the sixth round it appears that Zhang is completely gassed out. Maybe Forrest can mount a comeback?
8:22 p.m.: The heavyweights are about to throw hands next with the gigantic 6-foot-6 Chinese monster Zhang Zhilei taking on Jerry Forrest. Can Zhilei collect his 23rd victory?
8:09 p.m.: Well, he didn’t get the knockout but Diego Pacheco improved to 11-0 and went eight rounds for the first time in his career with a unanimous decision victory. Pacheco controlled much of the action and appeared to learn a lot as he begins his climb into title contention by facing an opponent who had never been stopped before. It wasn’t easy but it was definitive for Pacheco.
7:51 p.m.: We’re midway through the fight and both are still upright. Pacheco is ahead but Gomez Jr. has absolutely come to fight. It’s Pacheco’s activity behind the jab that was done the job thus far. Can Gomez figure out a way to turn this fight around?
7:30 p.m.: Up next is another young rising talent as Diego Pacheco looks to remain undefeated against Rodolfo Gomez Jr. Pacheco’s height advantage will be nullified here as both are towering at 6’4″ and share a similar reach. They have both promised short nights. But who will be on the canvas?
7:24 p.m.: We’re live in Miami and it didn’t take long for hot prospect Marc Castro to make his presence felt. Facing former UFC flyweight title challenger John Moraga, Castro made sure there would be no Clay Collard kind of rise from the former MMA fighter as he dropped his opponent three times in two rounds to get the stoppage. Castro dropped Morago with the first jab he threw and it was all downhill from there. A combination dropped Moraga again in the second round and finished him off with a short uppercut. Castro improves to 2-0 and it’s obvious that he’s going to be challenging for a world title in the next 24 months.
How to watch Canelo vs. Yildirim
- Live stream: DAZN
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Canelo vs. Yildirim fight card
- Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim for Alvarez’s WBC/WBA super middleweight titles
- McWilliams Arroyo def. Abraham Rodriguez via 5th round TKO (1:41)
- Zhang Zhilei and Jerry Forrest battle to a majority draw (93-93, 93-93 & 95-93)
- Diego Pacheco def. Rodolfo Gomez Jr. via unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73 & 79-73)
- Marc Castro def. John Moraga via 2nd round TKO (2:29)
- Aaron Aponte vs. Harry Gigliotti; junior welterweights
- Keyshawn Davis vs. Lester Brown; junior welterweights
- Alexis Espino vs. Ashton Sykes; super middleweights
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