Saul Alvarez was supposed to fight Christian Mbilli for the WBC Super Middleweight title back on Sept. 12, but family matters prevented “Canelo” from making that date. The bout will now take place on Sat., Oct. 31, 2026 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The event is billed as “Mexico vs. The World,” presumably for pitting several prominent Mexican boxers against top international competition.
Watch Canelo and Mbilli face off here.
“He’s old now, but he’s still very dangerous,” Mbilli said. “He has very good
power and a very good counter punch. I think it’s the best timing for me to have this fight. His power is going down a little bit, but he’s still dangerous. Five years ago, he was at a different level. But now he’s a little bit down, I think. But he’s still very, very dangerous. I’m hungrier than him. I think that’s the difference between us.”
Something tells me that’s not the only difference.
“They say I’m old and this and that, but they’re going to see,” Canelo said. “I have nothing to prove to anybody. I just love the sport of boxing. I know I have more to accomplish. Every time I step in the arena I break some record. That keeps myself motivated.”
Alvarez (63-3-2) has not competed since losing to the since-retired Terence Crawford roughly one year back. As for Mbilli (29-0-1), he’s looking to get back into the win column following a split draw opposite Lester Martinez on the Alvarez-Crawford undercard in Las Vegas. Expect more “Mexico vs. The World” bouts to be announced in the coming days.
