Just two months after his last fight, Canelo Alvarez is back in the ring, looking to unify the WBC and WBA Super Middleweight titles as he takes on Avni Yildirim, who is a steep, steep underdog in Saturday’s tilt. That’s the only title fight on the calendar for this weekend, although there is a full slate of sports betting opportunities in the sweet science. Check out the calendar along with odds for each fight.
We have some thoughts about Canelo’s next tangle as well.
Boxing News: Top Fights for This Weekend
Saturday, February 27 (Auckland, New Zealand)
Joseph Parker (-850) vs Junior Fa (+450) — Heavyweight, 12 rounds
Parker (27-2, 21 KO) and Fa (19-0, 10 KO) know each other well from their days in the amateur ranks, but this is their first professional meeting. The bragging rights are significant, and the winner would get an edge moving toward a world title fight — the first opportunity for Fa, while Parker looks to get back to contender status.
As amateurs, these two fighters met four times and split the two fights. Parker has some skins on the wall in the pro ranks, as he beat Andy Ruiz Jr to win the WBO belt and became the first fighter to last all 12 rounds against Anthony Joshua. He also came oh so close to escaping Dillian Whyte with a win. Parker has more experience at the pro level — and he is also two years younger. Fa has not done much that is noteworthy since going pro. However, this could be an example of looking past an opponent, as Fa is already talking about his next fight against Derek Chisora and then moving up the contender’s ladder. For Fa, though, this fight seems like his only focus. Parker has only had tomato cans for the last three years, and heavyweight bouts can turn out differently from what we expect. I’m taking the value here.
Prediction: Fa wins via KO/TKO
Saturday, February 27 (London)
Anthony Cacace (-350) vs Leon Woodstock (+260) — Super Featherweight, 12 rounds
Saturday, February 27 (Los Angeles)
Jesus Alejandro Ramos (-3000) vs Jesus Emilio Bojorquez (+1000) — Welterweight, 10 rounds
Anthony Dirrell (-350) vs Kyrone Davis (+275) — Super Middleweight, 12 rounds
Saturday, February 27 (Miami)
Diego Pacheco (-2500) vs Rodolfo Gomez Jr (+1200) — Super Middleweight, 8 rounds
Alexis Espino (-2000) vs Ashton Sykes (+900) — Super Middleweight, 6 rounds
Julio Cesar Martinez (-1400) vs McWilliams Arroyo (+650) — Flyweight, 12 rounds
Jerry Forrest (+475) vs Zhilei Zhang (-700) — Heavyweight, 10 rounds
Avni Yildirim (+1250) vs Canelo Alvarez (-5000) — WBC/WBA Super Middleweight Title, 12 rounds
O/U 4 ½ rounds (O -105, U -115)
Avni Yildirim is the mandatory WBC challenger next up on Alvarez’s list. Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KO) is the favorite for a reason, but can the challenger (21-2, 12 KO) actually pull off the shocker? Yildirim has not fought since 2019, and the two best fighters he has taken on have beaten him. Chris Eubank Jr blew his doors off, and then Anthony Dirrell beat him on the cards. Dirrell was already on the downward side of his career arc for that fight, and even at his best, he was never a fighter of the quality that Canelo represents. Eubank brought athleticism in that win, but Canelo is much tougher as a fighter than Eubank was.
Yildirim will need to land a miracle bomb to win this fight, but the problem for this is that Canelo’s defense is far too solid to allow that to happen. He likes to take on his opponent’s body, and if Yildirim comes out bringing pressure (which he will need to, as pressure is his only hope here), Canelo should be able to step in and deliver early punishment so that Canelo can come back and take on Billy Joe Saunders next.
Prediction: Canelo wins via KO/TKO
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