Spotlight On: Avni Yildirim

Avni Yildirim will challenge WBC super middleweight champion, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, on February 27 at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Dolphins and Hurricanes in Miami, Florida.

Avni, also known as “Mr. Robot” was born in Turkey on August 5th 1991. He made his professional debut on March 22, 2014 defeating Davit Ribakoni. From that night on, he has shown his great potential and quality.

By February 27, 2015, Avni became the WBC youth champion at light heavyweight by knocking out Giorgi Beroshvili.

Avni`s popularity grew rapidly and his knockout power became evident. By August 2015, Avni made his grand debut in the United States, and he was crowned the WBC international champion, defeating the experienced Jamaican Glen Johnson, a title he defended 4 times.

Set to make history, on November 5, 2016, Avni faced Schiller Hyppolite for the then-vacant WBC international silver title in the super middleweight division, which he conquered by KO in Munich, Germany.

With an undefeated record and conquering titles, in May 2017 the opportunity to contest the WBC international super middleweight title arrived, so Yildirim travelled to Mexico to face Marco Antonio Periban, whom he defeated by unanimous decision. He defended the crown three times.

One of the most difficult nights in Avni’s career was the loss he suffered in a very close fight, which round after round turned into an up-string war against American Anthony Dirrell, where the WBC super middleweight world title was at stake.

Yildirim was unknown and Dirrell the wide favorite, it was a great fight that unfortunately ended with a cut on Direll. The last two rounds had been largely dominated by Yildirim and he seemed to be heading for victory when an accidental clash of heads led the referee to stop the fight.

The result was controversial and that is why the WBC ordered a rematch, with Yildirim as the official challenger. This designation has been ratified in the last two WBC Conventions.

The Turkish idol knows that he is not the favorite against Mexico’s Saul Alvarez; However, this is precisely the extra motivation that Avni is looking for, since he must face the best and demonstrate that it is not about shaping a perfect record, but about having learned lessons, polishing boxing skills and above all fighting with all his heart.

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