Saul "Canelo" Alvarez begins his march towards unifying the super middleweight division on Saturday, Feb. 27 with a bout against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim.

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Alvarez rushes back to the ring

Alvarez is coming into this fight just under two months removed from his bout against Callum Smith, which was as competitive as a schoolyard fight between a high-schooler and a kindergartener.

Suffering no damage and barely breaking a sweat in the dominant performance, Alvarez is taking a mandatory defense against an opponent who hasn’t been in the ring for two years. With a major fight against Billy Joe Saunders on the horizon, Alvarez wouldn’t be blamed if he was overlooking the man opposing him in the ring.

Against Smith, Alvarez showed off his considerable punching power by battering him into silent submission. His speed will play more of a factor here, as well as his underrated combination punching, and he’ll definitely be going for a knockout.

Yildirim may need a miracle

Yildirim is a long shot, but boxers have overcome larger odds and circumstances before. He enjoys a height and size advantage over Alvarez, but will have to find a way to push Alvarez backwards and disrupt his rhythm.

Rust is a factor here, but Yildirim would be in way over his head even if he was active. He is a stationary fighter that operates at a moderate pace, but without the power or defensive techniques that could give opponents any pause in approaching him.

Alvarez will be in for an easy night

We’ve seen Yildirim get overwhelmed by the likes of Anthony Dirrell and Chris Eubank Jr., neither of whom had any trouble hitting and hurting him. Alvarez is several tiers better than both of them, and he has multiple ways of winning this fight. Yildirim can opt to fight or survive, but he isn’t going to keep Alvarez off of him.

The likelihood of a knockout is high, and Alvarez should indicate in the first few rounds how soon he wants to get it. Alvarez will score early, putting Yildirim into full retreat.

When Alvarez eventually closes the distance, or backs him into a corner, expect a barrage of body shots and uppercuts to flatten his overmatched foe. Alvarez will get the job done in five rounds or fewer.

Boxing pick: Alvarez