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Canelo Alvarez has finally come face-to-face with his next opponent. The first face-off between the Mexican superstar and his opponent, Avni Yildirim, will raise a few eyebrows, thanks to their size difference. However, will it play a part in the fight?

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Alvarez will take on Yildirim on February 27 as the main event of a stacked DAZN card. The two will battle it out for the WBC super-middleweight title as well as the WBA title. However, Alvarez will not have it easy against the Turk.

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The two met ahead of their fight to promote the event. The video of the photoshoot for the fight showed the incredible size difference between Alvarez and Yildirim. Alvarez looks much smaller than the Turk, who looks to be in incredible shape.

In terms of height, Yildirim is almost 6-foot-tall, coming in at 5’11.5″. This is almost 4 inches taller than the pound-for-pound king Alvarez, who stands at a modest 5’8”. Despite the height difference, the two are evenly matched in terms of reach.

Alvarez may be the shorter fighter, but he has half an inch reach advantage over Yildirim with his 70 .5” reach as compared to the Turk’s 70”.  

READ: Canelo Alvarez’s Workout: How Does the Beast Train?

How much of an effect will Avni Yildirim’s size have on Canelo Alvarez?

So, the Turkish boxer is clearly the taller fighter. Moreover, given that he started in the light-heavyweight division, he could come into the fight heavier than the Mexican. So how much will this affect Alvarez in the fight?

Canelo’s last two fights have come against taller opponents in Sergey Kovalev and Callum Smith. Both fighters are over 6” and have a longer reach than the Mexican superstar. However, Alvarez showed that it was not a problem for him.

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USA Today via Reuters

He knocked out Kovalev by repeatedly targeting the body, while he dominated Smith with his movement and speed. Thus, negating the physical advantages that his opponents possessed. It could be the same scenario with Yildirim.

Even though he has the physical advantages, he cannot match the Mexican with his skill. Therefore, we do not see the physical differences playing a huge role in the fight. Moreover, Alvarez could use similar strategies to what he did in his last two fights.

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What did you make of this face-off? Were you surprised at the size difference between the two fighters?

READ: Can Avni Yildirim Upset Canelo Alvarez?

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