AVNI YILDIRIM insists Canelo Alvarez is ‘not invincible’ and welcomed the thought of the Mexican overlooking him.
Canelo puts his super-middleweight crown on the line in a WBC mandatory defence against Yildirim this weekend.
Canelo Alvarez and Avni Yildirim ahead of their fightCredit: AP:Associated Press
Canelo Alvarez fights Avni Yildirim in a WBC mandatory defenceCredit: AFP or licensors
The Turkish challenger has it all to do, faced with the task of becoming the only man bar Floyd Mayweather to hand Alvarez a loss.
And despite Canelo winning titles in four divisions on the way to becoming pound-for-pound king, Yildirim will not get caught up in his mystique.
He told SunSport: “Canelo is an outstanding fighter and a great champion. But he is not invincible. He is human just like me. We‘ll see what happens.
“I am perfectly prepared, ready to go and can‘t wait to walk into the ring. I will do my best to make my people proud.”
Canelo, 30, fought just once in 2020 as he battled with his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy, which ended in an amicable split.
But despite the sole performance, it resulted in Alvarez handing Callum Smith his first loss while in the process inheriting the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine belts.
The superstar wants to waste no time this year and already has a unification against WBO title holder Billy Joe Saunders, 31, verbally agreed.
Despite the proposal, Yildirim, 29, refuses to feel disrespected and hopes Canelo’s lofty 2021 plans result in his downfall.
BOXING SPECIAL: GET CANELO TO BEAT YILDIRIM AT 20/1
But the underdog contender warns if Canelo has one eye on Saunders, by the time the first bell sounds, he will force that to change.
He explained: “Billy who? It doesn‘t matter to me what anybody says. I couldn‘t care less
“It can only be good for me if he thinks of anything else but me. I hope he does. But I‘m sure that I will get his attention. We will all find out Saturday night.”
The ex-sparring partners prepare to headline in Miami, 2,655 miles away from Canelo’s adopted American training base in San Diego.
Alvarez was due for a homecoming in Mexico, which would have been his first fight there since 2011.
But amid the coronavirus pandemic, to ensure fans could attend, it was instead scheduled for Florida.
Canelo’s last 18 fights have all been Stateside, where he has become a regular in Las Vegas.
So much so, he has been levelled with accusations that judges favour him due to contentious scorecards in the past.
Billy Joe Saunders is the WBO championCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Canelo Alvarez is the unified super-middleweight championCredit: USA TODAY Sports
Against Mayweather in 2013, many felt Alvarez was given a masterclass in defence and counter punching over 12 fairly one-sided rounds.
But still, judge CJ Ross infamously scored the bout a draw – whereas the other two sided with Mayweather – causing her to step down afterwards.
When Canelo fought middleweight rival Gennady Golovkin for the first time, the two put on a 12-round thriller in 2017.
Despite one judge scoring in to GGG narrowly, and the other a draw, Adalaide Byrd gave Alvarez the nod by TEN ROUNDS.
Still, Yildirim keeps faith in the commission and officials, and rules out needing a knockout to guarantee an upset.
He said: “I don‘t think that way. Of course, I know how it feels to be on the wrong end of a controversial decision. But that doesn‘t affect my style.
“I am never worried. I know what I am capable of and what I have to do. I don‘t think about anything which is out of my control.
“But I have full faith in the WBC and the WBC officials.”
Canelo Alvarez and Avni Yildirim are ex-sparring partnersCredit: Instagram @avniyildirim
Canelo Alvarez pictured with Avni Yildirim
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
