It’s official: boxing superstar Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez is set to return to the ring, aiming to reclaim his place atop the super middleweight division. Alvarez will challenge the undefeated Christian Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title on October 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi sports promoter Turki Alalshikh announced that the event billed as “Mexico vs. The World” was originally scheduled for September 12 in Riyadh. However, the date was postponed after Alvarez faced a family matter that delayed his training.
This fight marks Álvarez’s (63-3-2, 39 KO’s) first bout since his defeat to Terence Crawford, who won by unanimous decision to become the undisputed 168-pound champion. Afterward, Álvarez underwent elbow surgery, a procedure addressing
cumulative damage from years of competition rather than a specific injury sustained in the Crawford fight.
Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KO’s) most recently squared off with Lester Martinez, fighting to a split draw on the undercard of the Alvarez-Crawford super fight. Before that, he delivered a statement win, capturing the interim WBC super middleweight title with a first-round knockout of Maciej Sulecki in June 2025.
After Crawford announced his retirement in December, Mbilli moved from interim WBC super middleweight champion to full titleholder.
The Canelo-Mbilli’s “Mexico vs. The World” fight will be broadcast on DAZN PPV on Halloween night.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canelo vs. Mbilli fight is set with the WBC super middleweight title on the line
