Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim: When is the fight, UK start time, plus TV channel information

Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring this weekend in a bid to remain active with Turkey’s Avni Yildirim handed the golden ticket against the face of boxing.

The Mexican superstar has opted to avoid lengthy spells between fights and instead push for as many as four fights this year.

Yildirim is not expected to put up much of a fight, but he did take Anthony Dirrell 10 rounds for the vacant WBC super-middleweight world title in his last outing in February 2019, though British fans will recognise the Turkish fighter for his fight with Chris Eubank Jr in 2017 as part of the World Boxing Super Series, with the Briton destroying his opponent in three rounds.

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Canelo was excellent in his last outing where he comprehensively beat Callum Smith to add the WBC world title at 168 pounds to his WBA Super belt.

Bill Joe Saunders, who holds the WBO title at super-middleweight, will be in attendance, with his fight against Canelo in May, having originally been agreed weeks before boxing was suspended last year due to Covid-19, likely to be announced in the minutes that follow the conclusion of this fight.

Here is everything you need to know about the fight:

The fight is at the home of the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium and will take place on Saturday, 27 February, with the undercard starting at 1am GMT (Sunday, 28 February) or 8pm ET, and the main event will follow expected ring walks at approximately 4am GMT (Sunday, 28 February) or 11pm ET.

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In the U.K. and Ireland, Canelo vs Yildirim will air on DAZN. You can therefore catch a live stream of the card and main event through the DAZN app, which will come at an initial price point for a monthly subscription at £1.99. In Ireland, it’s €1.99.

US fight fans can order the fight on pay-per-view for $49.99, or subscribe at $19.99 for one month (or $8.33 per month if you purchase a one-year subscription for $99.99). The fight will not be available through DAZN in Mexico, where TV Azteca will carry the fight.

The app can allow fans to stream the fight through iPhone, iPad, Android phones, tablets, Amazon Fire tablet, Playstation 4 or Playstation 5, Xbox One or Xbox One X, in addition to the Amazon Firestick, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV and Sony Smart TV.

Watch Canelo vs Yildirim live via the DAZN app, new users can sign up here.

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Via Betfair

Outright

Canelo: 1/80

Draw: 50/1

Yildirim: 20/1

Method of victory

Canelo KO/TKO or DQ: 1/9

Canelo by Decision/Technical Decision: 9/2

Yildirim by KO/TKO or DQ: 22/1

Yildirim by Decision/Technical Decision: 66/1

“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.”

“It’s great to see Canelo so active, especially in the world we live in at the moment, I think it’s a real statement from him,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn. “He’s mixing it up by fighting in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium, to be promoting Canelo at the home of the Miami Dolphins is pretty special. We’re going to have around 15,000 in there, Avni is the mandatory challenger and it’s a great opportunity for him and a big opportunity for Canelo to stay active hopefully before a big Billy Joe Saunders fight and on a huge night on February 27.”