Canelo Alvarez near deal to fight Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27
Canelo Alvarez and Matchroom Boxing are near a deal to fight Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 and another opponent on May 8, according to The Athletic.
The outlet is reporting that the sides have agreed on major points but final details are being worked out.
Alvarez, who won two super middleweight titles when he outpointed Callum Smith on Dec. 19, would defend against the mandatory challenger Yildirim at a venue in the United States on DAZN.
The Turk agreed to step aside so Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) could fight Smith for the titles.
Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) is a solid fighter but would be a tremendous underdog against Alvarez. He won five fights since he was stopped in three rounds by Chris Eubank Jr. in 2017 but lost a technical decision to Anthony Dirrell this past February.
The opponent for Cinco de Mayo weekend evidently hasn’t been selected. Alvarez has said he wants to unify the 168-pound titles so fellow beltholders Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant would be his targets.
Alvarez dominated Smith to win 119-109, 119-109 and 117-111 on the cards, claiming Smith’s WBA belt and winning the vacant WBC title.
The Mexican star recently left Golden Boy Promotions to become his own promoter. He worked with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn for the Smith fight.