Canelo Alvarez

On the eve of the biggest fight of his career, Billy Joe Saunders delivered a message to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. 

Speaking to reporters during Friday's media session, Saunders said Canelo has "never faced a man with so much determination."

Canelo didn't sound too concerned about Saunders when he got the chance to respond:

Saunders enters Saturday's matchup with a perfect 30-0 record in his career. The English star most recently defeated Martin Murray by unanimous decision in December to retain the WBO super middleweight championship. 

Alvarez will be a step up in competition for Saunders. The 30-year-old is 55-1-2 in his storied career and is currently riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2013. 

The winner of the bout will be the unified super middleweight champion. 

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said they're expecting around 70,000 fans for Saturday night's fight between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Hearn told TMZ Sports in an interview released Friday there will be COVID-19 precautions in place and that he thinks fans understand the typical protocols at this stage of the pandemic:

"We're not the first in terms of big numbers returning to Texas. All sports now have been bringing crowds back. You've seen no spikes because of that.

"There will be masks worn, mandatory, on Saturday night. I've noticed, to be honest with you, as a Brit coming into states that have opened up like Texas and Florida, people aren't going out there carefree and just ignoring rules.

"People are actually being sensible, and they will be Saturday night, and everyone will have a safe night."

Hearn added he recalls the electricity from the fans the last time Alvarez fought at AT&T Stadium, a September 2016 win over Liam Smith, and thinks this could top it.

"We're gonna be just under 70,000. So it's gonna be incredible," he told TMZ. "I think I remember seeing Canelo box Liam Smith, and it was about 40,000 people there, and the atmosphere was just absolutely insane. This is gonna be a very, very special atmosphere."

Alvarez (55-1-2), the WBA, WBC and The Ring title-holder, and Saunders (30-0), the WBO champion, are set for a massive showdown in the super middleweight division.

It represents the toughest test for Alvarez since his back-to-back bouts against Gennady Golovkin in 2017 and 2018.

The 30-year-old Mexican superstar expressed extreme confidence despite Saunders' unblemished record.

"Yes, I've always said that," Alvarez replied when asked if Saunders has displayed a loser's mentality. "It's like they're losing ahead of time. You can see that in his attitude. He's an insecure person."

Saunders warned Alvarez about the challenge he's set to face.

"You've never been in the ring with someone like me. You've never seen anybody with this heart," the 31-year-old southpaw said.

The crowd will likely be heavily weighted toward Canelo given AT&T Stadium's proximity to Mexico and the fact that Saunders hails from England.

Saturday's card is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN, with the main event likely to get underway sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Canelo Alvarez will look to add another super-middleweight world title to his collection on Saturday when he takes on the undefeated Billy Joe Saunders in a highly anticipated unification fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs), a four-division world champion, has settled in at 168 pounds and appears intent on unifying the division. He holds the WBA and WBC belts, and this will be his third straight fight at super middleweight after bouts against Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight and Daniel Jacobs at middleweight.

The 30-year-old is the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, according to The Ring, and he has shown he can do it all over the past few years, winning fights with power, sharp counterpunching, elite footwork and dazzling head movement.

Is Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) going to solve the riddle? He's a slick southpaw who can stand up to heavy hitters, like he did against David Lemieux in 2017. He's also coming off a dominant performance over Martin Murray last year. But it will take a razor-sharp performance for the WBO world titleholder to upset Alvarez and become the man to beat at super middleweight.

Here's a look at the odds for the fight.

Alvarez vs. Saunders Fight Info

When: Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET (11 p.m. ET for main event)

Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Live stream: DAZN

Odds (via DraftKings): Alvarez -770 (bet $770 to win $100), Saunders +450

Alvarez has solidified himself as a heavy favorite going into this matchup. He's taken on the likes of Kovalev, Jacobs, Amir Khan, Gennady Golovkin, and the Smith brothers, coming out on top each time. Lesser opponents like Rocky Fielding and, most recently, Avni Yildirim, were finished off early and easily. It's going to be very tough to bet against him winning this one outright. 

If you're favoring the Mexican but want a better payout, then look at the bets for over-under on rounds and the manner of victory. According to DraftKings, over 10.5 rounds is at -152, while under 10.5 is +115.

Saunders represents a different challenge than most of Alvarez's opponents, and this could extend the fight deep into the night. He's a southpaw in his prime at 31 years old. Alvarez hasn't fought a southpaw since James Kirkland in September 2015 and Erislandy Lara directly prior to that in 2014. Alvarez knocked out Kirkland in the third round and won a split decision against Lara.

Saunders is a much better fighter thank Kirkland, especially on the defensive end. Former world champion Andre Ward believes the Briton might even be better than his opponent in this category, via ESPN.com: 

"Both Alvarez and Saunders have good defense. Alvarez's best defense is from the waist up—good head movement and timing to avoid incoming punches. Saunders likes to use his legs, distance and range to avoid punches.

"When I think about Alvarez, the first thing that jumps out to me is his offensive prowess, not his defense. When I think of Saunders and his style, the first thought I have is about his movement and ability to make opponent's hit air."

With good defense, hand speed, a size advantage and a southpaw stance Alvarez hasn't seen in a professional ring in awhile, Saunders could well trouble him the same way Lara did at times. He may even be ahead after a few rounds. It seems likely he's angling to stick and move and make Alvarez chase him, considering Tuesday's blow-up over the ring size.

According to ESPN.com's Ben Baby, Saunders' camp wanted a 22-foot ring instead of a 20-foot ring. This didn't sit well with his opponent.

"It's not the only excuse he's had," Alvarez said through an interpreter, per Baby. "He's had plenty of excuses. I'm just going to go in there and do what I have to do."

Even if Saunders doesn't get the ring size he wants, Alvarez might have trouble finishing him early. Going over 10.5 rounds seems like a good betting opportunity. Alvarez went to the judges' cards against Callum Smith, Jacobs and Golovkin both times.

For those looking to put money on Alvarez winning by stoppage, currently -110 on DraftKings, its entirely possible he gets that late in the match too. He didn't stop Kovalev until the 11th round of their matchup in 2019. There's a decent chance betting the over on 10.5 rounds works out even if Saunders doesn't reach the final bell (and, of course, if you like Saunders to win, go ahead and bet the over because Alvarez's chin will almost certainly hold up).

As a counterpoint, Kovalev is naturally a much bigger man than Alvarez and his skull-rattling power kept the Mexican honest for long stretches of the fight.

Saunders, for all his talents, is not a heavy hitter. If he can't frustrate Alvarez with speed and command of the ring, he won't be able to deter his opponent from walking him down and hauling off with his power punches.

Chris Eubank Jr., who lost to Saunders in 2014, thinks Alvarez will get the KO, per DAZN Boxing: 

Alvarez does not like to play with his food. If he solves the British fighter's game plan early, he will try to end things quickly. It all comes down to how much you believe in Saunders' dedication, which has ebbed and flowed throughout his career, and his ability to frustrate Alvarez.

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Canelo Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) believes if he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. when both boxers were in their prime there's no question who would win. The Mexican star said on In Depth with Graham Bensinger he'd knock Mayweather out without question.

That doesn't mean the claim is without dispute.

Alvarez had an opportunity to take down Mayweather in 2013 only for Pretty Boy to win with a majority decision after 12 rounds. It's the lone blemish on Alvarez's record, and he told Bensinger the loss "hurt a lot," but it clearly hasn't held him back. 

Now at the top of his game, Alvarez is one of the biggest draws in the sport while Mayweather hasn't fought since a technical knockout victory over Conor McGregor in 2017. Not that he necessarily needs to. At 50-0 (27 KOs), there's little left for Mayweather to prove and he's not exactly in a hurry to ruin his own winning streak. 

In fact, there might not be a better representation of where Canelo Alvarez and Mayweather are in their careers than their respective upcoming opponents. 

For his next fight, Canelo will be defending the WBA (super), WBC and The Ring middleweight titles against Billy Joe Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) on May 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In June, Mayweather will fight in an exhibition against YouTuber Logan Paul (0-1).

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez had to negotiate with kidnappers for three days after his brother was taken in 2018. 

In a conversation on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Alvarez said he received news from Mexico shortly before his December 2018 fight with Rocky Fielding his brother had been kidnapped:

Canelo explained that he spent three days on the phone negotiating with the kidnappers to get his brother free.

"Over the phone, I negotiated all the—I negotiated everything for his release," Canelo told Bensinger in Spanish. "For three days, I negotiated with those assh--es so they would let him go. Three days."

Alvarez didn't divulge details of the negotiations but noted he did get his brother released. The 30-year-old said in a separate clip from the show that he doesn't stay in his native Mexico much anymore "because it's not safe."

Despite the turmoil going on in his personal life at the time, Canelo showed no signs of being distracted for his bout with Fielding. He won via third-round TKO to capture the WBA super middleweight title. 

Canelo is set to return to the ring on May 8 against Billy Joe Saunders. He will defend the WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring super middleweight titles. Saunders is putting his WBO super middleweight championship on the line. 

American YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul called super middleweight boxing champion Canelo Alvarez an "old hater" in a video provided by TMZ Sports. 

Paul's video was in response to the champ kicking out a pair of Paul's fans who made their way to the ring after Alvarez beat Avni Yildirim by third-round TKO on Saturday.

Paul wasn't happy with Alvarez's actions, and he proceeded to say he thinks Alvarez is ducking good fighters.

"Why not fight Caleb Plant? David Benavidez? BooBoo Andrade?" Paul asked. "You're ducking them. You're ducking them, Canelo! You're an old hater, that's what you are."

Alvarez had previously said Paul and his brother, Jake, are disrespecting the sport:

Jake Paul responded to Alvarez's remarks in his latest video.

"Canelo, what's your problem, bro?! Why you hate me so much?!," Jake said, per TMZ Sports. "Canelo's mad. He has this thing against me. Said I'm bad for the sport. I'm disrespecting it, which doesn't make sense at all.

"I'm actually just bringing more eyeballs, more awareness to the sport of boxing. But since Canelo, you wanted to start this beef, let's do it!"

Jake Paul is 2-0 lifetime as a professional, with wins over former NBA player Nate Robinson and YouTuber AnEsonGib. Logan Paul is set to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition match on a to-be-determined date after a postponement from the originally scheduled day of Feb. 20.

Alvarez, 55-1-2 lifetime, will fight Billy Joe Saunders next in May in a title unification bout.

Canelo Alvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring super middleweight titles with a victory over Avni Yildirim on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Alvarez dominated the fight and took complete control in the third round, delivering some brutal body punches before knocking Yildirim down with a right hand following a setup jab.

Yildirim survived the third round, but his corner threw in the towel before the fourth got underway.

It was a relatively easy fight for Alvarez, and boxing writer Dan Rafael offered his take.

Mike Coppinger of The Athletic called it a "one-sided beating" through two rounds before Round 3 even got underway.

Yildirim was the mandatory WBC challenger for Alvarez, who will now look forward to unifying all the super middleweight belts.

Alvarez has a fight lined up with WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 and a bout with IBF champion Caleb Plant will go down sometime in fall 2021, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.

The 30-year-old entered Saturday with a 54-1-2 record, with his only loss coming against retired and undefeated former world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

His draws occurred against Jorge Juarez and Gennady Golovkin, and he avenged the latter with a majority-decision win over the man known as Triple G in a rematch.

Thirty-six of his wins had come by way of knockout, and he entered Saturday on a 13-fight undefeated streak.

Alvarez has won boxing titles in four weight classes: light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. His latest super middleweight honors came after defeating Callum Smith last December via unanimous decision.

Alvarez had previously won the WBO light heavyweight title after beating Sergey Kovalev via 11th-round knockout in November 2019 but relinquished the title to move back down to super middleweight. His next fight was against Smith.

BoxRec ranks him as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The 29-year-old Yildirim was 21-2 lifetime with 12 wins by way of knockout entering Saturday.

His last fight ended with some controversy, as he fell to Anthony Dirrell via technical split decision in February 2019.

Dirrell suffered a cut over his eye due to an accidental seventh-round headbutt that got so bad the fight was stopped following 10 rounds. It then went to the judges, and the scorecards varied considerably. One had it 98-92 for Yildirim, while the other two posted 96-94 results. With that, Dirrell won the vacant WBC super middleweight title.

Yildirim has fought at the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions during his career. The Turkish fighter won his first 16 bouts before falling to Chris Eubank Jr. by third-round knockout. He then won five straight fights before the loss to Dirrell two years ago.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has settled into a comfortable rhythm of fighting twice a year, usually on Cinco de Mayo weekend and then again sometime in late fall or early winter. That pattern has been disrupted by the pandemic and mandatory challenger requirements, so the sport's biggest star finds himself fighting a little more than two months after his previous bout.

Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) is set to defend his WBA and WBC world super middleweight titles against Avni Yildirim on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. He's coming off a comfortable unanimous-decision win over Callum Smith on Dec. 19. Despite the quick turnaround, Alvarez is expected to make light work of Yildirim, the mandatory challenger for his WBC belt.

Yilidirim (21-2, 12 KOs) is a massive underdog, hovering in the range of Buster Douglas when he shocked Mike Tyson in 1990. A win for him would be a historic upset, but it's highly unlikely this will be anything other than a tune-up fight for Alvarez as he looks to unify the titles at 168 pounds.

Alvarez vs. Yildirim Fight Info

When: Saturday, Feb. 27 at approx. 10 p.m. ET (per DAZN, main card starts 7 p.m. ET)

Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami

Live stream: DAZN (subscription required)

Odds: Alvarez -10,000 (bet $10,000 to win $100), Yildirim + 1,200 (via DraftKings)

While Alvarez is coming off short rest, Yildirim has had plenty of time to work on his craft since his most recent bout.

Yildirim was last in the ring in February 2019, when he lost a technical decision to Anthony Dirrell. It was just the second defeat of his career but a solid showing, as at least one judge had him up on the cards when the fight was cut short in the 10th round because of a cut on Dirrell.

Yildirim's only other defeat was in 2017, when he was knocked out by Chris Eubank Jr. All of his wins have come against middling opposition.

So despite the long layoff and the lack of a signature win, Yildirim has a career-making opportunity against Alvarez. The Turk has a chance to represent his country in a sport wherein it has had little success. To make the impossible happen, he will need to elevate his game. According to ESPN's Arda Orcal, Alvarez is familiar with Yildirim's version of pressure fighting:

"Yildirim said that the similarity in styles between him and Golovkin was one of the main reasons he was asked to join Canelo's training camp, and that both fighters had a good rapport at the time. 'But we are opponents now,' he stressed.

"Yildirim is nicknamed 'Mr. Robot,' a nod to his come-forward style in the ring. With the dynamic challenges presented by Alvarez, Yildirim has enlisted the services of world-class trainer Joel Diaz."

If Yildirim pulls off the upset, go ahead and call Diaz a miracle worker. A fighter who had "no defense whatsoever," as Diaz told Orcal, is a recipe for disaster against most top-tier opposition, but especially Alvarez.

The Mexican superstar is a vicious, calculating counterpuncher. Yildirim doesn't appear to be powerful enough to give Alvarez pause—and there might not be a fighter around who is, considering he's already survived Gennady Golovkin twice—so there shouldn't be anything stopping the champion from waiting for a hole to open up and driving a power shot through it. All he needs is a sliver of daylight to make his opponents pay, whether it's against a speedster like Amir Khan or a mauler like Sergey Kovalev.

Even if Yildirim's defense is patched up, he's going to have trouble establishing any offense of his own. Alvarez's balance, footwork and head movement are some of the best around and have made the likes of Smith and Daniel Jacobs look silly as they end up sparring with oxygen. As long as Alvarez doesn't make a fatal mistake, it's hard to see him needing more than a few rounds to dispatch Yildirim. That said, he's not taking anything for granted.

"I see a strong fighter," Alvarez said, per BoxingScene.com's Keith Idec. "I see a fighter that goes forward, obviously. He has lots of courage. He can be dangerous at any moment because he is a strong fighter. There's no doubt that I am a fighter that has more qualities, obviously. But in boxing, you must always, always be aware."

Assuming Alvarez's takes care of business Saturday, there's plenty more business to come in 2021. According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, Alvarez is considering fighting Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO world super middleweight champion, in May. Iole says Alvarez is also eyeing a fight with Caleb Plant, the undefeated IBF titleholder, sometime in 2021.

If that all comes together, it would be the first time Alvarez has fought more than twice in a calendar year since 2011. Even if Saturday's fight isn't one any boxing fan had on their wishlist, that's a pretty good deal for fight fans.

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