WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring super-middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez defends his newly-acquired belts for the first time on Saturday in Miami, just two months after picking them up.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim odds. Canelo: 1/50; Yildirim: 14/1; Draw: 30/1 (All odds via Unikrn) Unikrn unsurprisingly has Canelo as the overwhelming favorite to win. Canelo has only ever been defeated as a professional by the legendary Floyd Mayweather, a result that took place way back in 2013.

Odds for the Canelo vs GGG Rematch. Heading into the rematch, sportsbooks are in agreement that GGG is the favorite, recognizing that he deserved to have his hand raised last time. FIGHTER Sportsbook 1 Odds Sportsbook 2 Odds Sportsbook 3 Odds; Gennady Golovkin-160-170-160: Canelo Alvarez. Let's take a look at Canelo vs. GGG 2 odds, pick Online sportsbook, proboxingodds.com, has Golovkin as the favorite (as of Sept. 12), which isn't too much of a surprise.

Canelo outpointed Callum Smith in a dominant display in December to enter the champions' enclosure at 168lbs, and if he can defeat mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim as expected he can move on to an attempt at unifying the division.

WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders and IBF kingpin Caleb Plant are both undefeated and will relish the opportunity to stop Alvarez's scintilating run, but first the Mexican star must not only make a statement against his Turkish adversary but do so without picking up even a minor injury that would leave a Cinco de Mayo fight night up in the air.

Here are the latest odds and expert predictions for Canelo vs. Yildirim.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim odds

• Canelo: -5000
• Yildirim: +1200
• Draw: +3300

(All odds via BetMGM)

BetMGM unsurprisingly has Canelo as the overwhelming favorite to win. As of Thursday, he comes in at -5000. That means you'd need to bet $5000 just to win $100. Meanwhile Yildirim is available at +1200, which means you'll take home $1200 if you bet $100 and he pulls off the upset.

Canelo has only ever been defeated as a professional by the legendary Floyd Mayweather, a result that took place way back in 2013. The Mexican is now at his physical peak and arguably his optimal weight class, and although Yildirim has earned a fair title shot, his resume isn't particularly dazzling and his two career losses came in his two most challenging encounters to date.

More Alvarez vs. Yildirim odds

Will the fight go the distance?

• Yes: +700
• No: -1600

Method of victory

• Canelo by KO/TKO/DQ: -1600
• Canelo by decision : +800
• Yildirim by KO/TKO/DQ or submission: +3300
• Yildirim by decision: +1800

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Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim predictions

Here are the expert predictions for Canelo vs. Yildirim, which airs live Saturday Feb. 27 on DAZN worldwide and on TV Azteca in Mexico .

Barak Bess: Yildirim won't last the distance with Canelo

“You’re asking me how this fight’s gonna play out? First of all, you gotta judge a man by his resume, so who has Avni Yildirim fought? He got knocked out by Chris Eubank Jr in three rounds. He also fought a very good fighter, former two-time champ, in Anthony Dirrell. That fight was stopped in the 10th round but on one judge’s scorecard, Avni was winning. So he’s not green, he’s a good fighter. But there’s levels to this and if I was homeland security I’d say Yildirim is a low level threat while Canelo is a severe threat. So can Yildirim last 12 rounds? I don’t know which round it happens, but I don’t think he does.'

Akin 'Ak' Reyes: Knockout - it ends within six rounds

'There’s no question in my mind that Canelo comes out on top. Now, boxing is the theatre of the unexpected so there’s no telling what could happen, but highly unlikely. I feel Canelo wants to make a serious statement. I think he goes to the body early and looks for a stoppage.This fight does not go the distance and I feel it ends within six rounds. Canelo won’t get the credit he deserves because of the opponent, but he will beat Avni Yildirim.'

Sergio Mora: A similar result to 'GGG' Golovkin's last fight

'Look, I respect Avni Yildirim and he’s got Joel Diaz in his corner. He’s been training hard, and it’s the opportunity of a lifetime for him. And he’s confident: he feels he can beat the number one fighter on the planet. But there are levels to this game and I just don’t think he is fast enough, strong enough or punches hard enough. I see him getting stopped as soon as Canelo lands something big. Yildirim, if he practices what he preaches, is going to go out on his shield and he will fight back but I just don’t see him doing so past the middle rounds. I think Yildirim is to Canelo what Szeremeta was to Golovkin, and that’s a stay-busy fight.'

Chris Mannix: Yildirim will revert to type

'No question there is a big talent gap between Canelo and Yildirim. So, the only question is how this fight will end. I think Canelo is going to get a knockout. Joel Diaz said that he has trained Yildirim differently for this fight and that he’s going to attack from different angles. But ultimately, the bout will become a firefight and Avni will revert back to what he knows. When that happens, I think he will put himself in a position to get knocked out.'

Keith Idec: He couldn't handle Eubank, won't handle Canelo

'Yeah, I think Canelo will win this fight by knockout. He’s too big, too strong, too skilled and has an incredible chin. Yildirim is a tough guy and he will come forward but I think that will be his downfall. I don’t think the fight lasts more than five or six rounds. Canelo is a tall order for anyone in boxing and Yildirim isn’t a top five fighter at 168lbs. He’ll be there to be hit, he isn’t the best defensive fighter and he’s been blown out before against Eubank Jr. I don’t know that Canelo will get him out there that quick, but he will get him out there in short order.'

Back in 2015, when a potential mega-fight between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KO’s) and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KO’s) was being rumored, oddsmakers offshore listed Golovkin as a -350 betting favorite. But two years later when the bout was finally confirmed for Sept. 16, 2017, perception had changed and bookmakers installed the still undefeated GGG as a much lower favorite, at -165.

Though the current unified WBA (Super), WBC, and IBO Middleweight Champion had not lost a fight, Golovkin did not look as unbeatable as he had just a few years prior. He did beat Kell Brook and Daniel Jacobs within that time span, but GGG was now 35 years of age and hadn’t walked through his opponents as easily as before. Some started to even question whether he was starting to decline and no longer in his prime.

The stock on Alvarez was continuing to climb even though his promotion company Golden Boy was accused of protecting him by delaying a bout with Golovkin. Rather than take the super-fight, Canelo went on to beat Amir Khan, Liam Smith and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Eventually the fight was set.

When Canelo and GGG finally met inside T-Mobile Arena it was one of the most highly anticipated bouts in a very long time.

Come fight-night most sportsbooks had significant exposure on the underdog Alvarez, which isn’t surprising for combat sports. Unlike most professional sports where casual bettors (public) disproportionately back the favorites, they tend to bet the underdog in both boxing and mixed martial arts.

Canelo Vs Ggg 2

With combat sports using a money-line instead of a point-spread, the hope of making a “score” usually puts recreational bettors on the side of the dog.

The majority of Las Vegas books were Golovkin fans for that first fight. The bout ending in a draw was ultimately not a good result as all straight bets on Canelo and GGG had to be refunded. Even worse than not turning a profit after all that work, sportsbooks had to pay out bets on a draw, which had odds of up to 30-1. Plenty of tickets were written on draw as many casual bettors looked for the big pay out.

Rather than waste your time reviewing that first fight, I’ll just say, like the majority of who watched, I too scored the bout in favor of Golovkin, 8-4. Now I know some of those rounds were very closely contested and judging boxing is subjective, but no matter how many times I’ve watched the fight I can’t give Alvarez six rounds.

But that’s neither here nor there because all that really matters is what’s going to happen this coming Saturday night. As we go to print Golovkin is listed as a -140 betting favorite at Westgate SuperBook, with Alvarez +120. Total Rounds Over/Under set at 11.5, with OVER a -240 favorite. The opening odds were GGG -170 so more money has been bet on Canelo. I expect that trend to continue heading into fight night and won’t be surprised to see the line drop even more at some shops.

Canelo Alvarez Vs Ggg 2

There is a lot to like about both fighters heading into the rematch.

For Canelo, he’s now felt the punching power of Golovkin and showed his chin can handle it a lot better than most. He’s also a lot younger and I believe at 28 physically at his peak. His youth also serves him well as he’s still growing as a fighter and should be able to make more adjustments.

Canelo did an excellent job of slipping GGG’s punches but he wasn’t able to make his opponent pay for those misses, and it cost him. As a counter puncher he’s prefers fighters who come forward but he must pick spots to try backing Golovkin up and not allow him to get into a rhythm.

For GGG, the difficulty comes in improving on his last performance since it appeared he did what was needed to win. I believe he gave Canelo too much respect early on and didn’t apply enough pressure when he had him against the ropes. That allowed Alvarez to slip, counter, and move out of the way.

Though Golovkin continued to walk Canelo down and appeared more aggressive throughout, he wasn’t able to maintain the pressure. In fact, it appeared as if GGG was starting to tire toward the later rounds, making Canelo look like the fresher fighter.

Bottom line, I’ve got an opinion on this fight that I’m backing with my cash. I’m confident we’ll see a much more comfortable GGG this time around, having never fought in Las Vegas prior. I also believe he’ll work behind his jab more and control the distance better by not constantly walking Canelo down.

Historically Golovkin does his best work moving forward but against a pure counter-puncher like Alvarez, he’ll need to use his range and keep the fight in the middle of the ring at times. Canelo actually did some of his best work when backed up against the ropes, which also allowed him to make Golovkin chase and tire quicker.

Golovkin will have an easier time in the rematch now that he’s seen Canelo’s movement and speed. I expect he’ll be in even better condition knowing he may have to go 12 rounds again and win even more convincingly. I look for Canelo to have his moments but Golovkin’s pressure and power will do more damage as the fight progresses and get him the win.

Canelo Vs Ggg 2 Stats

PICK = GENNADY “GGG“ GOLOVKIN