Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim reportedly is on.
Alvarez has agreed to defend his super middleweight titles against his mandatory challenger on Feb. 27, according to multiple reports. The fight will be streamed on DAZN.
The site has not been announced. The Athletic is reporting that it probably will be Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the home of the Miami Dolphins. The NFL team allowed an average of more than 12,000 fans to attend games, which presumably was attractive to Alvarez and Co.
Alvarez fought Callum Smith in front of an estimated 11,400 at the Alamodome in San Antonio last month. However, Texas reportedly has tightened crowd restrictions because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in that state.
The Mexican star has said he intends to unify 168-pound titles this year, meaning he would fight either of his two fellow beltholders – Billy Joe Saunders or Caleb Plant – in September, assuming he beats Yildirim.
Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) split with longtime promoter Golden Boy Promotions in November, making him his own promoter. He decided to continue working with Golden Boy affiliate DAZN, at least through the fight on Feb. 27.
Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) will have been out of the ring for more than two years when he faces Alvarez. He last fought in February 2019, when he lost a technical decision against Anthony Dirrell.
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