Christian Mbilli vs Canelo formally announced by Turki Alalshikh

Christian Mbilli vs Canelo was originally set for September 12 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, with Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight world title on the line. However, Canelo then revealed that various things in his life contributed to the fight being put back until October 31. The bout has made headlines in recent weeks, with no official confirmation regarding the bout. The current issues in the Middle East have led to rumours of the bout potentially being relocated. Turki Alalshikh has now clarified that Christian Mbilli vs Canelo will indeed take place on October 31.

Christian Mbilli vs Canelo set for Riyadh clash

Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) has not fought since losing his super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford. It remains to be seen just how much Alvarez has left, and whether he can wrestle the WBC crown away from Mbilli, who was elevated to the full champion following the non-payment of sanction fees by Terence Crawford.

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) fought on the Crawford-Canelo undercard against Lester Martinez, with the fight ending in a split draw.

Revealing the Mbilli-Canelo fight, Alalshikh posted via his personal X account:

Canelo Alvarez takes on Christian Mbilli, with a stacked lineup of boxing stars joining them at Riyadh Season. The post also stated that the main fight will start at 3am local time.

The Big Fight Weekend verdict: Christian Mbilli vs Canelo

With the main event now confirmed, it remains to be seen who will fill the undercard slots. Looking at the main event, the biggest question remains about what Canelo has left. At his very best, his upper-body movement was elite. He could slip many punches from opponents before landing his own heavy shots.

His punch placement was always brilliant and one of his best assets. His ability to punish opponents when they fell short with their punches was always impressive.

Mbilli is explosive and will look to overwhelm Canelo. The legendary Mexican in his prime would have dealt well with the come-forward style of Mbilli. The Cameroonian-born fighter looks to exhaust his opponents through constant pressure and throwing lots of punches every round. He carries plenty of power, but he does often stand straight on with his opponents, and if Canelo can find his range early, the Mexican could have plenty of joy counterpunching.

The main question around this fight is what does Alvarez have left, because Mbilli is going to bring the pressure.

We are backing Canelo to have enough left to deal with Mbilli. A unanimous decision victory for the 36-year-old Mexican.

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