It seems inevitable that Canelo Alvarez’s next fight will be against the WBC’s nominated super-middleweight challenger Avni Yildirim and the Turkish contender’s manager Jose Perez insists his man will provide a stiffer test of the Mexican’s credentials than Callum Smith.
On Saturday night, the Mexican star toppled Smith to win the vacant WBC 168lbs title along with the Scouser’s WBA Super crown and now mandatory challenger Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) is next in line. The winner of Canelo-Smith agreed to face Yildirim next as part of their fight contract.
The Yildirim bout could take place in early 2021 as Canelo looks to fight in his native Mexico for the first time since November 2011. Canelo and Yildirim know each other well, having sparred regularly in recent times.
“We knew that if he won, he had to fight Avni. Either he’d fight him or he’d hand over the title. They know each other, they know who Avni is, because they spent several months in a training camp,” Perez told journalist George Ebro. “Canelo is a very honest person who keeps his word and he always said that he would fight Avni after this fight if he won.
“The one who was required by the WBC [to fight for the title] was Avni, but Eddie Hearn’s people spoke to us to allow Canelo to confront Smith [for the vacant WBC crown first]. We didn’t see any problem with that. Sometimes in boxing you have to step aside and wait for your turn, but this fight [for the WBC title] will happen 150 percent.
“This is Canelo’s strategy. Canelo is very smart. He knew he was going to beat Smith and that he’s going to take the fight against Avni because he knows he’s going to take things another level, better than he did against Smith. Avni’s going to give him a better fight, because he’s a fighter. Avni’s not going to box you for 12 rounds, he’s going to rip your head off. That raises the level of the fight.
“This is going to be a very interesting fight. They’ve been sparring each other for a long time. Canelo loved sparring with him, because he gave him a war and they were doing that for about four months. And Canelo told him that one day he was going to give him a chance to fight him. The favourite in the fight is Canelo, but in boxing both men come with two legs and two arms. Boxing is unpredictable.
“The only one who can beat [Canelo at 168lbs] is Avni. I don’t see anyone else. Canelo needs someone to put pressure on him. You’re not going to beat him by just boxing. Canelo is the typical Mexican warrior. I’m not saying we’re going to win or lose, but we’re going to put in a dignified performance. I don’t want them to say that the fight was bought or that the opponent looked bad.”