Canelo vs Yildirim: Live coverage NOW!
Canelo Alvarez is back against Avni Yildirim tonight on DAZN.
Results
- Diego Pacheco UD-8 Rodolfo Gomez Jr (79-73, 79-73, 79-73) [Highlights and Recap]
- Marc Castro TKO-2 John Moraga (2:29) [Highlights and Recap]
Round By Round
Zhilei Zhang vs Jerry Forrest
Round 1: Forrest comes out with a quick jab to the body, then another. Forrest continues to try to work his jab downstairs against the imposing figure of Zhang. A couple more jabs to the body comes from Forrest. Short right hook makes contact for Zhang. Zhang stalks forward but hasn’t thrown many punches yet. Forrest misses on a left hand aimed at the body. Zhang tries another lead right hook. Jab lands for Zhang now. Forrest tries an ineffective combination. Forrest jabs to the body again and then wings a big left hand that gets blocked. More jabs come from Forrest who lands a grazing shot upstairs, then a better one the next time. BIG LEFT HAND FROM ZHANG PUTS FORREST DOWN! Forrest is up at the bell. Zhang 10-8.
Round 2: Well, Forrest was clearly winning that first round until he got caught by the Big Bang. He’ll have to be careful going forward. Forrest throws a half-hearted jab upstairs. Lunging left hand from Forrest doesn’t land clean. Forrest throws another jab but ZHANG STAGGERS FORREST WITH A HOOK! Forrest manages to stay on his feet after having both his knees buckled and tries to fire back! NOW A RIGHT HOOK PUTS FORREST DOWN HARD! Forrest gets up quick and wants to continue. Forrest comes forward and tries to land something big to get Zhang’s respect. Another hook from Zhang has Forrest ducking for cover. Forrest lands a clean jab upstairs. Power advantage, Zhang. Zhang 10-8, 20-16.
Round 3: Forrest comes forward to start the round and gets clipped by another hook that once again puts him down! Forrest up again and still wants more. Forrest still coming to fight, throwing punches. Forrest jabs to the body, then the head. Short right uppercut makes partial contact for Zhang. Now Zhang jabs to the body, Forrest responds in kind. Lead right hook from Zhang just misses upstairs. Forrest pops a jabs and then steps off the line. Right hook lands again for Zhang but Forrest takes this one. Left hand from Forrest splits the guard. Zhang 10-8.
Round 4: Forrest probably can’t afford to get dropped in every single round, so might want to break that streak here. Forrest jabs three times and makes a little contact. Both fighters trade and land. Forrest lands a jab on Zhang’s face. Hard left hand to the body land for Forrest this time. Check hook from Zhang just misses the mark. Forrest lands to the body with a jab. Another left hand lands to the body for Forrest. Zhang is falling in love with his right hook but isn’t setting it up, making it easier for Forrest to avoid. A couple more shots from Zhang shake up Forrest a bit. Left hand lands downstairs for Forrest. Forrest managed to stay on his feet this round, and I’ll give it to him. Forrest 10-9, 34-39.
Round 5: Forrest jabs to the body. Forrest continues to try to work the body of the larger man. Jab lands upstairs for Forrest. Forrest throws two shots that don’t land so clean. Left hand lands over the top for Zhang. Zhang is leaning on Forrest a lot in the clinches as he’s pretty obviously a little tired. Now the referee warns Zhang he’ll take a point the next time. Zhang didn’t do anything this round. Forrest 10-9.
Canelo Alvarez makes a quick turnaround back into the ring tonight against Avni Yildirim, with the full card starting around 7 pm ET streaming live on DAZN.
The ring walks for the Canelo-Yildirim main event are being advertised for around 10 pm ET. Wil Esco will be on the round-by-round call for the evening’s featured bouts: Canelo-Yildirim, McWilliams Arroyo vs Abraham Rodriguez, and Zhilei Zhang vs Jerry Forrest. We’ll have fight-by-fight results posted as each bout comes in.
Canelo is defending the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles, facing his WBC mandatory challenger, Yildirim. The fight is seen as a mismatch by most, but it’s a chance to see a real star make a return just two months after his last fight, very rare anymore, and if Canelo wins as expected, he’s anticipated to face WBO titleholder Billy Joe Saunders on May 8.
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
The Arroyo-Rodriguez co-feature replaces what was supposed to be Arroyo challenging Julio Cesar Martinez for the WBC flyweight title. Martinez pulled out Thursday with a broken hand. Rodriguez is coming in on extremely short notice, and the interim WBC flyweight title will be at stake.
Zhang-Forrest is set for 10 rounds in the heavyweight division, and we’ll also see prospects Diego Pacheco and Marc Castro in action.
Join us tonight! WITNESS GREATNESS!!!
Main Card (DAZN, 7:00 pm ET)
- Canelo Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KO) vs Avni Yildirim (21-2, 12 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds, for Canelo’s WBC and WBA titles
- McWilliams Arroyo (20-4, 15 KO) vs Abraham Rodriguez (27-2, 13 KO), flyweights, 12 rounds, for vacant interim WBC title
- Zhilei Zhang (22-0, 17 KO) vs Jerry Forrest (26-4, 20 KO), heavyweights, 10 rounds
- Diego Pacheco (10-0, 8 KO) vs Rodolfo Gomez Jr (14-4-1, 10 KO), super middleweights, 8 rounds
- Marc Castro (1-0, 1 KO) vs John Moraga (1-2, 1 KO), junior lightweights, 4 rounds