Avni Yildirim will not accept “underdog” label
At this point in his career, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KO’s) is one ferocious fighter. The WBA Super and WBC Super Middleweight champion is both offensively dynamic and defensively slick. The redhead contains formidable power in both hands, boasts an impressive in-ring IQ and remains the Teflon Don on the scorecards. Not to mention the fact that Alvarez has all of Mexico and most major American media outlets fully backing him. Compared against this tidal wave of accolades, it seems easy to call his next foe, Anvi “Mr. Robot” Yildirim (21-2, 12 KO’s), an underdog.
Yildirim does not ride the tremendous wave of popularity that Alvarez does. His resume is not littered with a who’s who of boxing in the manner that Canelo’s is. In fact the two biggest names on his ledger are Chris Eubank Jr and Anthony Dirrell. To make the situation a bit grimmer, Mr. Robot lost both of those encounters. Although to his credit, there is a healthy contingent of boxing enthusiasts who believe he was coming on strong and would have won had he not become the victim of circumstance. In the end however, for a multitude of reasons, Yildirim is largely being counted out in his next dustup.
Good thing that the Turkish pugilist, as told to IFL TV, could not care less even if he tried!
“When I come to here, when I come to the US, when I come to LA, everyone says Avni is the underdog. Fuck underdog, I am not underdog! I believe in myself. I believe in my coach, we are great team. We come here for a world championship belt, I am not underdog! I don’t care what anyone says, I believe in myself. Who gives a fuck, I don’t care!”
THE CALL OF BATTLE
In the words of famed comedian Katt Williams, clearly Yildirim is ‘focused on his star player!’ Rather than sit around moping about negative comments, Mr. Robot is taking time to sharpen his mind and focus on the task at hand.
“This is a big fight for me, a big chance for me, big for all my fans and my country for everything. I’m feeling good, I do a good training camp with my coach, with my team. I am ready for the fight, for my body, important for the mentality. My mental is ready!”
While it is certainly true that a positive mental outlook is the bedrock of success, ability and execution are just as important. So, on February 27 the boxing world will see if Yildirim has the physical goods or just a head full of pretty dreams!
By: Bakari Simpson
