“Canelo Álvarez will return to the ring on 12th September in Riyadh to face WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli,” Turki Alalshikh said.
The bout comes one year after Canelo’s loss to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, a Netflix event that reportedly drew more than 41 million viewers. Before that defeat, Canelo spent years at the top of the division, recording nine successful super middleweight title defenses during his undisputed championship run.
Mbilli enters as the unbeaten WBC champion after first winning the interim belt against Maciej Sulecki before later being elevated to full champion in January. The French-Cameroonian contender has steadily climbed through the rankings and now steps into a title fight against one of boxing’s biggest names.
“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico, and continue building my legacy,” Canelo said. “Mbilli is undefeated, and a great fighter, and I respect that.”
Canelo also made clear that his preparation remains unchanged despite the stage and opponent.
“My focus is always on my preparation, performance, and giving the fans another great night of boxing,” Canelo said. “On September 12 in Riyadh, we begin a new chapter with the same discipline, ambition, and vision that has carried me throughout my career.”
Mbilli leaned into the scale of the opportunity and the attention surrounding the matchup.
“My last fight was the fight of the year,” Mbilli said. “In September, against Canelo Alvarez, it will be the fight of the decade.”
“And when the fight is over, the world will witness a historic victory for me,” he added.
A press conference is scheduled for May 23 in Cairo, where both fighters are expected to meet face-to-face publicly for the first time since the fight became official.
The announcement ends weeks of speculation about Canelo’s next opponent and gives Mbilli the highest-profile fight of his career against one of the biggest names in the sport.
Read the full article here
