A year since promoting three world title fights on Watson Island during Super Bowl week, England-based Matchroom Boxing again has found an attractive location away from home in South Florida.
Repeated returns to local fight venues especially intensified for Matchroom once statewide coronavirus lockdowns loosened in the fall while coinciding with stricter regulations in the United Kingdom. Granted, the cards — headlined by title fights at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood — were closed to the public. Nonetheless, South Florida provided a suitable alternative to dark fight dates.
Matchroom continues its local presence with another show Feb. 27. Only this next card moves to Hard Rock Stadium, where spectators will be allowed to watch one of boxing’s top fighters and arguably its most popular.
Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will make the next defense of his super-middleweight title against Turkey’s Avni Yildirim. In continuation of COVID-19 guidelines set for Dolphins and Hurricanes games during the pandemic, the first boxing event at the 65,000-seat stadium will be limited to 20 percent capacity.
“I’ve wanted to put on a big fight at the Hard Rock Stadium for a long time, so I am thrilled that we’re able to bring Canelo to Miami, it’s a real honor for us,” Matchroom director Eddie Hearn said in a statement. “Miami is a great sporting city that has been starved of great fight nights, but this is our second one with fans and fourth visit to South Florida in total in just over 12 months. I think that we’re going to start to see more big fights here and we’re certainly looking to build something in the state.”
Alvarez’s local appearance follows former nemesis Gennadiy Golovkin’s middleweight title defense behind closed doors at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Dec. 18. Before Golovkin’s fight and Alvarez’s upcoming bout, South Florida has not featured matches involving elite level fighters since Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. headlined shows at AmericanAirlines Arena in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
“I am very happy to fight in Miami, where I visit often on vacation,” Alvarez said recently in a Mexican TV boxing program. “It pleases me to open new settings.”
Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) is a prohibitive underdog to dethrone Alvarez, recognized as champion by two major sanctioning bodies. For Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs), the bout serves as a steppingstone as he attempts to unify titles against the other champions, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, later this year. Plant retained his belt with a unanimous decision victory over Caleb Truax Saturday in Los Angeles.
“They have everything to gain, that is why they are going to prepare 100 percent,” Alvarez said of opponents like Yildirim. “They have nothing to lose and that is always dangerous to me. I am going to prepare like always — with much discipline and desire. I love boxing. I love to fight. No matter who it is, I’m going to do the same job.”
Although a frequent visitor, Alvarez, 30, is no stranger to fighting in South Florida. During the contending stage of his career, Alvarez headlined a card at Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in 2008 and scored a first-round technical knockout over Raul Pinzon.
Between the Miccosukee appearance and his fight at Hard Rock Stadium, Alvarez has won world titles in four weight classes and reached crossover status in the sports landscape.
“It’s a competitive space with all the pro teams in the area, but if you bring the very best to the city, you will have a great chance, and the early ticket sales for February 27 have been great,” Hearn said. “You need to showcase the very best of the sport with fighters like Canelo, but also put on an occasion that fans won’t forget and that will leave them wanting more, and that’s what we’re planning.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Spanish language network Telemundo begins its 32nd year of televised fights March 5 in Kissimmee.
Continuing its partnership with Miami-based promotional company All Star Boxing, Telemundo again will present a seasonal format of four successive Friday night shows. Broadcasts are also planned for the summer, fall and winter.
The opening telecast of the year will feature a regional junior-welterweight title bout between Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo and Mexico’s Jesus Beltran.
▪ Former junior-welterweight contender Ismael Barroso scored a first-round knockout over Nestor Paniagua in the main event of a card Saturday night at Club Scala in downtown Miami.
In other bouts: welterweight James Bacon won by unanimous decision over Ramon De La Cruz; super-featherweight Otar Eranosyan knocked out Juan Carlos Pena at 2:23 of the fourth round; super-welterweight Mekhrubon Sanginov won by split decision over Quincy LaVallais; lightweight Frank Diaz won by unanimous decision over Elliot Brown; cruiserweight Andrey Mangushev won by unanimous decision over Milton Nuñez; welterweight Tayre Jones scored a TKO over Jurmain McDonald at 2:25 of the third round; light-heavyweight Juan Carrillo won by unanimous decision over Khainell Wheeler.
