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As Canelo Alvarez gets ready for this weekend’s super middleweight title defense against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Canelo tells says he’s excited to put on a show for the Florida crowd, even if it is at a reduced capacity. Canelo says this fight could open doors for him in a new area as he typically fights in Las Vegas or Texas in front of huge Mexican crowds. But this bout could expand his reach.
“I feel very motivated to be in Miami and have this fight,” said Canelo. “And to put on a great show for the people there because I don’t just represent Mexico, I represent all Latinos.”
Canelo-Yildirim is expected to host up to 15,000 people due to pandemic conditions, but Canelo says he’s perfectly fine with that and he has nothing but gratitude for any amount of fans who show up to support him.
“Let’s hope that normalcy will arrive soon, and the stadium can be filled, but with 15,000 I feel very good, and if there were 1,000 it would be the same, the support of the people is incredible, and I feel very grateful.”
How to Watch Canelo vs Yildirim
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27 | Start Time: 7:00 pm ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, FL
Streaming: DAZN
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com
Canelo, 30, will enter this weekend’s bout as the overwhelming favorite to beat Yildirim, and rightfully so, but Yildirim and his team have been at least saying they’ve prepared themselves to buck the odds. Whether or not they can actually accomplish this remains to be seen though, as Canelo is probably as good and as confident as he’s ever been in his professional career.