Canelo Álvarez will return on September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he challenges Christian Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title on a DAZN PPV card billed as Mexico vs. The World. Álvarez enters as the challenger for the first time since 2022 after losing to Terence Crawford last September and later undergoing elbow surgery.
Canelo sounded fully confident at the launch event in Cairo and made it clear he does not believe Mbilli’s youth, pressure or unbeaten record will be enough. “He’s a good fighter, but in my mind it’s zero percent chance,” Álvarez said. Responding to the idea that the timing favors Mbilli, he added: “If I was 50 years old, you still cannot beat me.”
Watch Canelo vs. Crawford highlights: Watch
Mbilli comes in as the undefeated WBC champion and one of the division’s most aggressive pressure fighters. He has built his rise through fights with Carlos Góngora, Rohan Murdock, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Maciej Sulecki and Lester Martinez, with the Martinez draw later named WBC Fight of the Year.
Watch Mbilli vs. Martinez highlights: Watch
The champion also brought confidence to the face-off. “You’re going to be surprised in September,” Mbilli told Álvarez. “I’m not Berlanga. I’m not Munguia.” He later called Canelo “the greatest test of my life” and promised “to etch my name into the history of the sport by delivering a war like you’ve never seen.”
No undercard fights were confirmed at the launch, though Canelo is expected to have input on the Mexican fighters involved. Names such as Jaime Munguia, Rafael Espinoza, Emanuel Navarrete, Raymond Muratalla and Ernesto “Tito” Mercado have been mentioned as possible participants.
