Start time: 0430, 28/02/2021
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
TV: DAZN
Canelo Alvarez gets his wish to stay active when facing Avni Yildirim in Miami and should enjoy a routine defence of his WBA and WBC super-middleweight belts.
The Mexican great has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound performers in boxing and arguably the biggest box office draw on the planet.
His Turkish opponent is simply not at the same level and 10/11 for the champion to get the job done inside four rounds is our first Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim prediction.
A Look At Canelo Alvarez’s Betting Odds
Canelo improved his pro record to 54 wins, two draws and just one defeat when easily outpointing Britain’s Callum Smith in Texas before Christmas.
Two judges scored that contest 119-109 in favour of Alvarez and the other 117-111 to give us a couple of winning bets in our fight preview.
The 30-year-old’s sole defeat came against Floyd Mayweather in 2013, although he was fortunate to come out of two fierce battles with Gennadiy Golovkin with a win and a draw.
Even so, Canelo has built up a huge following with a series of entertaining bouts, claiming 36 of his victories via knockouts.
Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan feature among his high-profile victims.
Looking ahead to this clash, he said: “Avni Yildirim is a good boxer and I know we will put on an exciting fight.”
Alvarez should be sharper here than when facing Smith, which was his first outing in over a year, and he is expected to cut loose quite quickly.
Looking at the Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim odds, we feel 12/5 for him to oblige in the third or fourth round is fair value.
A Look At Avni Yildirim’s Betting Odds
Yildirim is seen as just a stepping stone for Alvarez, who is set for a big unification match with Britain’s WBO title holder Billy Joe Saunders this summer.
That fight features in our infographic on the five most anticipated bouts of 2021 that fans are desperate to see take place.
The challenger here has a decent 21-2 record in the paid ranks, but has tasted defeat on the two biggest nights of his career so far.
Chris Eubank Jr put Yildirim on the floor in the opening round of their October 2017 clash, before stopping him in the third.
The Turk was also beaten on a technical decision by Anthony Dirrell in his last fight just over two years ago when an accidental clash of heads caused a 10th-round end to hostilities.
“I always give my all – and everybody should be ready to see a war,” declared the 29-year-old. “I am coming to make my country proud.”
Yildirim will enjoy a height advantage, but Alvarez has overcome such an obstacle against far stronger foes, including Smith in December.
For those seeking a slightly bigger price, let’s add 5/1 for the favourite to win in the third round to our Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim betting tips.
That gives the champion two rounds to warm up and then swarm all over his mismatched challenger.
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