Canelo Alvarez Sees Christian Mbilli Fight Turning Into “Fight of the Year”

“He’s a champion. He’s a good fighter. He’s got that good style. It’s going to be a good fight for the fans. Everyone thinks I’m going to take an easy fight, but I like to go straight with the champions,” said Canelo to InsideRingShow.

Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) has built his reputation on nonstop pressure, combination punching, and forcing opponents into exchanges. That style has led some fans to compare the matchup to the kind of fights that usually bring out the best version of Canelo.

Mike Coppinger mentioned the possibility of the fight becoming a Fight of the Year contender and pointed to how the styles may mesh together in a way similar to some of Canelo’s past wars with Gennadiy Golovkin.

“I hope so. I think he has a good style. My style makes it perfect for his style, and it could be. It could be a fight of the year. Yeah, I see that,” said Canelo when reacting to being told he could spend parts of the fight against the ropes countering Mbilli the way James Toney used to during his prime years.

The bigger takeaway may have been Canelo admitting he cannot afford a slow start against Mbilli’s pressure.

“I’m going to be ready for everything because normally I take my time in one round, two rounds to see everything. I think with Mbilli, I need to start things in the first round,” said Canelo.

That comment says plenty about how Canelo views Mbilli’s style. Fighters that allow Canelo to settle into a measured pace usually end up getting picked apart over twelve rounds. Mbilli’s pressure may force him into a much faster fight than usual. That is probably why Canelo sounds far more interested in this matchup than many expected.

Could Canelo vs Mbilli be a Fight of the Year candidate? 🤔

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