The biggest draw in boxing will return to the ring after a short layoff on Saturday, February 27. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will defend his three super middleweight belts against Avni Yildirim. Alvarez (54-1-2 with 36 KOs) isn’t expected to receive much of a challenge from his opponent, but Yildirim (21-2 with 12 KOs) is out to prove he shouldn’t be underestimated.
Canelo vs. Yildirim will be available exclusively through DAZN. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET in Miami, and Alvarez and Yildirim are expected to enter the ring around 11 p.m. ET.
When: Saturday, February 27, 2021
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Why: WBA, WBC, and The Ring super middleweight titles
Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim Betting Odds
Canelo Alvarez -5000
Avni Yildirim +1240
Total Rounds: Check Back Later
Alvarez is an enormous favorite per the boxing betting odds. At this price, you would have to wager $500 on the defending champion to win $10. That will lead to bettors looking for other ways to bet Canelo, like with specific round betting or with including him in multi-leg parlays. A $100 wager on Yildirim would return $1240 at these odds.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim Preview
There isn’t a more beloved boxer than Alvarez. He carries the pride of his country whenever he steps into the ring, and he has been incredibly successful given he is just 30 years old. Alvarez won his first major title almost 10 years ago, when he beat Matthew Hatton by unanimous decision for the WBC light middleweight title. That spurred one of the greatest careers in modern boxing as he has gone on to win titles in four different weight classes.
Alvarez’s lone loss was to the legendary Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in September 2013. Although Alvarez lost a majority decision, the general consensus was that the fight should have been decided by unanimous decision. The judge that scored the fight a draw retired shortly after the bout, raising more than a few eyebrows.
It took a couple years for Alvarez to win a title again, but you can make the case that he has been the most dominant boxer in the sport over the last five years. He won a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto to win The Ring and WBC middleweight belts in November 2015, and he claimed the WBO light middleweight title with a ninth round KO of Liam Smith 10 months later. Those performances set up two mega fights with Gennady Golovkin.
Those two bouts were controversial with most of the boxing community believing that GGG won both fights. However, Alvarez ended up with the WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight belts after the second fight. He has gone on to beat Rocky Fielding to win the WBA super middleweight title, Daniel Jacobs to win the IBF middleweight belt, Sergey Kovalev to win the WBO light heavyweight strap, and Callum Smith to partially unify the super middleweight division over the last two years.
This will be Yildirim’s third title shot. He was 16-0 headed into his first title fight against Chris Eubank Jr., but he suffered a third-round KO defeat with the IBO super middleweight belt on the line. Yildirim responded with five straight victories to earn a second title shot against Anthony Dirrell, but he could only win a majority decision over Lolenga Mock.
Dirrell suffered a cut from an accidental head clash, leading to the fight being stopped midway through the 10th round. That meant the judges submitted their scorecards, and Yildirim was behind on all three leading to a unanimous decision defeat. This was Yildirim’s most recent fight, and he has not been in the ring in over two years.
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