Fans of the Sweet Science could be forgiven for scratching their heads when posed the question of Turkey’s best fighter. The sizzling nation, famed for its tough footballing background and growing interest in K1 kickboxing, has seemingly left boxing in the shadows. One man is on his own turbulent mission to change that.
Ahead of his WBC super-middleweight World title challenge, Avni Yildirim(21-1, 12 KO’s) spent time discussing his introduction to the sport and his hunger to succeed, exclusively with Boxing Social. Although he is set to face Anthony Dirrell in a contest to re-crown the owner of the coveted green and gold belt, his last performance against veteran Lolenga Mock had left him far from satisfied.
“It was not good enough”, he stated, bluntly. “There were some problems, not relating to me [directly]. Especially the last week of camp, it affected me in a bad way. I lost too much weight in the last week and I did not like my performance. I just could not fight my fight. The wrong coaching and over-training were the key factors from my last fight.”
Despite doing enough to grab a majority decision victory over MTK Global’s Mock, Yildirim had been forced to ring the changes within his team. It wasn’t the first time he’d toiled as a boxer, having to rebuild after being left at home as Turkey travelled with their amateur squad to London six years ago for the Olympics.
The man known as ‘Mr Robot’ was an interesting, yet complex character. He detailed his introduction to boxing as a young man in Sivas, Turkey. The urban province has settlements amongst its rolling hills and experiences humidity of 100% – intense for civilians, let alone men sparring in the height of Turkish summer-time.
“My father is a taxi driver and without boxing, I don’t know, maybe I’d be a taxi driver? Maybe I’d be a Godfather in Turkey or I could have won the lottery and already be rich! I don’t know… I [knew I] loved boxing when I was aged thirteen. My whole life was a struggle, though. I couldn’t live my childhood [properly].
“When I was in the amateurs, I had decided to change my club. I came to this decision on my own and [as a result], I was selected for the Turkish National Team in 2009. I won several National Championship and got a bronze medal in Mediterranean Games in 2013. Although I was the first guy in the National Team, they didn’t take me to the London Olympics. That was a cornerstone in my life and [from then], I wanted to be professional fighter.”
Yildirim’s lone defeat was suffered on his biggest stage, in a stoppage loss to British extrovert Chris Eubank Jr. The Turkish native vowed that he would show people what he had learned from this experience, which occurred when fighting on the World Boxing Super Series at super-middleweight. He’s fought five times since that defeat in the Autumn of 2017, picking up wins over Canadian Ryan Ford and Derek Edwards along the way.
Determined to drag the WBC World title back to the nation which bridges Eastern Europe with Western Asia, Avni said, “I am proud of my country. I didn’t have the same excitement [for my fight] against Eubank Jr. I am aware of how big this fight is. Winning the WBC belt was my childhood dream, I saw that all big fighters held that belt in their hands. I know how big this opportunity is that I have.
“I’ve changed my team. I don’t want to give my new coach’s name yet. I believe in myself and my new team. Now, Dirrell must be thinking about me. I’ll bring the belt to Turkey for the first time in history. I do this job for the glory!
“I fought when my nose was broken. I was like a gladiator. I came here from a tough and heavy background. I came through drilling walls [for work] to be here. I slept in moist rooms and sparred with Americans and Mexicans. I don’t have any fear – I [would] fight with everybody. I was always disciplined, I’ve never had a real relationship, I didn’t have time for it. This psychology [of a fighter] is not easy. This life is not everyone’s cup of tea.”
The sacrifices made by fighters of Yildirim’s level were never to underestimated. No social life, no drinking, no distractions. Success was the only option and after tasting defeat he wasn’t keen to re-live it. The bout with Anthony Dirrell, brother of Andre, was awaiting its venue and confirmation of its date. For Avni, it didn’t matter. He knew he would be primed and ready to seize the belt with his second bite of the cherry.When looking at boxing in Turkey, it was apparent the sport was lacking a ‘breakout’ star. Most notably, the sport of MMA had been introduced to its own Turkish icon, Gokhan Sakhi, after an impressive kickboxing career which included multiple World title conquests. Boxing patiently waited for their own Sakhi, to boost the sport’s popularity amongst football-hungry youths.
“Boxing in Turkey depends on the people”, Avni told me. “If a guy has some success, then some people follow him. In the past Sinan Samil Sam was successful and people supported him. Now, I am the first guy who can claim the World championship. If I win, people will support boxing. But that’s it. Football is the main sport here. Second is basketball. Boxing is not in the running [at the moment].
He continued, “People even don’t know the rules and federations involved. That’s why everybody claims that they’re champions, but the fact that nobody has won the World title in Turkish professional boxing history, it means young kids are interested in boxing, but [the support] system is not strong enough.”
The pressure on Avni Yildirim’s shoulders was seemingly strengthening his preparation. He appeared to be the type of fighter who needed deeper meaning to his contests – not just money – not just figures in a column. He is looking to inspire a generation of potential pugilists, which is something not many could hope to achieve.
Backed by his wild promoter and friend, Ahmet Oner, the pair will attempt to crash the World scene by beating Dirrell. Yildirim was a livewire, muscle-bound and capable of beating most fighters in-and-around the top-ten in the World. Dirrell was a storied amateur, who’d been gifted this route back to the top table.
Whatever the outcome when the pair meet, I sensed drama would be inevitable with Avni involved…
“I am ready for him. The question is; is he ready for me? I respect him as a fighter. He was the champion once. He has tasted the glory. But, his career has been passive for the last three years. He’ll face off with a hungry wolf. He will have to fight with me and beat my starvation [for this World title].”
Article by: Craig Scott
Follow Craig on Twitter at: @craigscott209