Abel Sanchez has a clear verdict on Canelo vs Mbilli — and it’s not a knockout

On October 31, at The Venue in Riyadh, Christian Mbilli vs Canelo headlines a Ring Magazine card with Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight title on the line. The entire card will be shown live on DAZN PPV and DAZN Ultimate. Despite the recent attacks in Riyadh and the cancellation of a multitude of Riyadh Season events, this fight card is going ahead. Renowned trainer Abel Sanchez spoke to Fight Hub TV, revealing how he sees October 31 playing out.

Christian Mbilli vs Canelo Alvarez clash on October 31 in Riyadh

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) was elevated from his WBC interim title to full title holder following the WBC’s decision to strip Terence Crawford of the title he won against Canelo, following Crawford’s failure to honour a payment agreement with the sanctioning body. Mbilli’s best wins have come against Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Maciej Sulecki, and Rohan Murdock, while he was last in action on the Canelo-Crawford undercard fighting to a split draw with Lester Martinez.

Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was last seen losing to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision, with scorecards of 116-112 and 115-113 x2. Before that loss to Crawford, Canelo had won six fights, including dominating wins over Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga.

Abel Sanchez breaks down Christian Mbilli vs Canelo Alvarez

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Sanchez was clear on how he sees this fight playing out:

“Yeah, I don’t think he (Canelo) gets him out of there (knockout). I think it’s a decision fight. I don’t think there’s any pressure on Canelo. I that fight against Crawford kind of took away that, I have to look great in every fight from Canelo. I think now he’s gonna go out there and do what he’s gotta do against a durable guy, and I don’t think there’s pressure on him getting him out of there. 

“He just has to go out there and use his skills. Do the things that he does best. And the things that he does best are better than anything Mbilli will do.”

The Big Fight Weekend verdict

On October 31, we will see just how much Canelo has left. Mbilli will apply the pressure and make Canelo fight. Despite being an all-action fighter, Mbilli does fight in straight lines and will give Canelo opportunities, and as long as the Mexican’s timing is still there, he will show his accuracy, punching between Mbilli’s work and making the Cameroonian-born fighter second-guess his work.

Alvarez needs to use his jab well, and pick off Mbilli when he falls in. We believe Alvarez is confident he can reclaim the WBC title, and we are backing him to do that and win by decision.

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