Canelo Alvarez is back in action on Feb. 27 when he defends his WBC, WBA (Super) and Ring Magazine super-middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, live worldwide on DAZN (except Mexico).
Just two months after claiming the belts with a superb showing against previously-unbeaten Callum Smith, Canelo looks to make a smooth first defence against mandatory challenger Yildirim and emerge unscathed for another bout on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) is hell bent on becoming the first Mexican to be undisputed champion at super-middle, and recently told Matchroom Boxing that major goals and cornerstones such as that are what drive he and trainer Eddy Reynoso.
“It’s important for me and Eddy because very few people have achieved becoming undisputed champions,” said Canelo. “And that’s a short-term goal for us. To win all the titles at 168 pounds.
“Obviously, no Mexican has ever done it. So that’s our short-term goal, to keep making history. And that’s what we want. Eddy and I have always wanted the best. And we want to keep making history.
“I think it’s important, not just for me, but for all fighters. To make history in boxing is very important, I think. It’s very important to me to leave behind a legacy in this sport. And that’s why we’re doing this. To keep making history and so when people talk about boxing, they always remember me.”
In chief support on the 27th, Julio Cesar Martinez (17-1, 13 KOs) defends his WBC flyweight title against mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo (20-4, 15 KOs) while Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang (22-0, 17 KOs) faces Jerry Forrest (26-4 20 KOs) over 10 rounds.
A host of young talents get the chance to shine on the card in the form of Diego Pacheco (10-0, 8 KOs), Alexis Espino (6-0, 4 KOs), Marc Castro (1-0, 1 KO) and Aaron Aponte (1-0, 1 KO).
Canelo vs. Yildirim is available globally on DAZN, with the exception of Mexico. You can sign up for a subscription here, although fans in Argentina, Colombia and Chile must sign up via the DAZN app which can be downloaded from Apple's App Store or Google Play on Android.