Mexican Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, the best pound-for-pound boxer of the moment, and Turkish Avni Yildirim passed Friday’s weigh-in without problems and declared themselves ready for their fight this Saturday in Miami.
Álvarez, super middleweight champion of the World Boxing Council and the World Association, will expose his belts in a lawsuit before 15,000 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which was confirmed after both scored on the scale below 168 pounds, limit required in the division.
Dressed in red, Yildirim was the first to arrive at the weigh-in ceremony, after which ‘el Canelo’ did, wearing sportswear with the green, white and red colors of his country’s flag.
After in both cases the weight needle scored below 168, the rivals posed for the photo; the Turk extended his fist in salute to the Mexican, who responded soberly, after which he tried a hook in the air, while Yildirim showed his powerful forearm.
‘Canelo’ is the favorite to retain the belts in a lawsuit in which the odds favor him overwhelmingly, after which the Mexican intends to seek the other two belts of the division in the coming months, held by the British Blly Joe Saunders, undefeated monarch of the World Organization, and the American Caleb Plant, champion of the International Federation.
With 54 victories, 36 of them on the fast track, one loss and two draws, Álvarez goes to the age of 30 for the best moment of his career and this Saturday he will try to confirm it against a rival with fewer tools but with a good punch.
He alleges breach of contract by the streaming service DAZN, the promoter Golden Boy and its executive director Óscar De La Hoya.
Yildirim, with 21 wins, 12 on the fast track, and two failures, will try to win with one blow, but he will have to be cautious because Álvarez defends well, is lethal on the counterattack and can finish the fight in the first five rounds.
Álvarez intends to enter the ring four times in 2021 and conclude the season as the absolute king of super middleweight players to put himself on the path of, when he retires, be considered the best Mexican fighter in history, ahead of the legendary Julio César Chávez, something that many consider a greater challenge.