Canelo Alvarez and Avni Yildirim are set for tomorrow night’s DAZN main event from Miami (Feb. 27, 7 pm ET), with both looking in good shape today on the scales.
Both Canelo (54-1-2, 36 KO) and Yildirim (21-2, 12 KO) weighed in at 167.6, below the fight’s 168-pound limit. Alvarez will be defending the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles, with Yildirim the WBC mandatory challenger.
Canelo is a huge favorite in the fight, but also all the pressure is on him to perform, not only just to win but get through the fight even without any cuts or anything that could postpone a planned May 8 bout with WBO titleholder Billy Joe Saunders.
“I always want to be perfect in the ring, this fight is no different,” Canelo said through a translator. Asked for how he’ll approach the fight, Canelo said, “I always try to be patient, but it depends on what Yildirim tries to do. If he’s going to try to rip my head off — it will depend on what he does.”
Yildirim has been outspoken about the critics of the matchup, but was level in his approach at the weigh-in.
“I’m ready for tomorrow. It’s showtime, baby, it’s showtime,” Yildirim said. “My country is proud of me. It’s a big honor for me. It’s my time.”
Here’s a look at the STAREDOWN!!!
The card will also feature a heavyweight matchup between Zhilei Zhang (22-0, 17 KO) and Jerry Forrest (26-4, 20 KO), set for 10 rounds. Zhang weighed in at 256.2, which is his lightest weight since 2017, and Forrest at 236, which is his heaviest weight since 2012, but neither of them were in abnormally different condition than you probably expected. Zhang had one heavy weight of 278 against Andriy Rudenko in 2019 and labored a bit, but otherwise he’s about where he normally is.
The card also will tentatively feature McWilliams Arroyo (20-4, 15 KO) facing Abraham Rodriguez (27-2, 13 KO) for the interim WBC flyweight title. Arroyo was supposed to fight WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Martinez, who suffered hand injuries and had to pull out on Thursday. Rodriguez agreed to come in on extremely short notice, but is still en route to Miami. The fight depends on him making the 112-pound limit.
How to Watch Canelo vs Yildirim
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27 | Start Time: 7:00 pm ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
Streaming: DAZN
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com
Undercard Weights
- Diego Pacheco 168 vs Rodolfo Gomez Jr 167
- Keyshawn Davis 136.6 vs Lester Brown 134.6
- Alexis Espino 167.8 vs Ashton Sykes 164.2
- Aaron Aponte 139.8 vs Harry Gigliotti 139.2