Darshan Desai Uncrowned Thu, October 29, 2026 at 11:16 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boxing's biggest star, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, will look to become a two-time super middleweight champion when he challenges Christian Mbilli for the WBC title on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It has been over a year since Alvarez lost his undisputed crown courtesy of a tremendous performance from Terence Crawford — and that means it has been a year since Alvarez last held a world title.
For a fighter who was champion for seven straight years — from 2018-25 — not having a world title is an unnatural feeling for the Mexican, but it has been Alvarez's reality since being outclassed by Crawford more than 13 months ago.
Hours before Crawford's win over Canelo, Lester Martinez held Mbilli to a draw on the undercard. Mbilli, the WBC interim champion, was upgraded to full champion shortly after and has now landed the golden ticket as it were — an opportunity to upset the sport's commercial king.
Canelo Alvarez wants to prove he has plenty left.
For Alvarez, 36, a defeat could mark the end of a 20-year professional career, which has been a constant at the world level for the better part of 15 years. Victory for Mbilli, one of boxing's most exciting pressure fighters, will surely elevate him to stardom.
Saturday will either mark the start of a new era in the sport or a return to the top for Alvarez. Let's break it all down:
Alvarez's decline at the top level has been visible for several years now. Once a ferocious puncher, he has not scored a knockout in five years. Since then, Canelo has gone 6-2, losing decisions to Dmitry Bivol and Crawford, but defeating a host of names beneath the elite level.
With 68 fights under his belt, it was inevitable that Alvarez's body would start to show signs of wear and tear, and that has become more apparent in the last few years.
In 2018, Alvarez underwent right knee surgery before his rematch with Gennadiy Golovkin. Following his uninspiring decision win over Golovkin in their third fight, the Mexican required a procedure on his left wrist in 2022. Now, after his loss to Crawford, Alvarez underwent his third surgery in a little over seven years — this time on his left elbow.
Alvarez enters his fight with Mbilli with the mind of a fighter at the top of his game, but his body tells a different story.
Since moving up to 168 pounds, it is clear Alvarez is fighting above his natural weight class. Some of his most valuable assets — head movement, combination punching and work rate — are nowhere to be seen. Instead, Alvarez has become overly reliant on his power and setting up those punches.
Mbilli could be a perfect style matchup for Alvarez at this stage of his career. Mbilli is a come-forward pressure fighter and a volume puncher. He is going to give Alvarez plenty of opportunities to land on his chin, and if Alvarez's power is intact and he can hurt Mbilli, it could be a comfortable night for him.
If Alvarez cannot trouble Mbilli with power shots, though, it could be a long and difficult fight. At this point in his career, Alvarez doesn't have the volume and gas tank to match Mbilli in a firefight. He is going to have to hurt Mbilli and slow him down.
Mbilli was troubled by Martinez when they fought, so Alvarez's power theoretically should have an even greater impact on the champion. Mbilli is susceptible to uppercuts because when he comes forward, he often squares up his stance and leaves himself open through the middle.
Can Mbilli hurt Alvarez? Canelo has had an impeccable chin over the years. So unless he loses his punch resistance overnight — which can happen to fighters — Alvarez should be comfortable with Mbilli's power. It is more likely that Mbilli's volume, intensity and combination punching prove troublesome for Alvarez.
Mbilli is a very effective brawler, but there is no doubt Alvarez is the smarter fighter. He should be able to set up perfectly placed counters, walk Mbilli into uppercuts and ultimately deter Mbilli from letting his hands go with timing and power.
Mbilli's relentless pressure could make this an uncomfortable night for Alvarez, but it could also play directly into the Mexican's hands. Canelo may no longer have the legs or work rate to dominate elite opponents, but his timing, accuracy, and counterpunching remain dangerous weapons against a fighter who leaves himself exposed as often as Mbilli does.
I expect Alvarez to exploit those openings and end his five-year knockout drought.
WBA Super middleweight title: Jaime Munguia def. Nikita Zon
WBO Featherweight title: Rafael Espinoza def. Ricardo Blandon
Featherweight: David Picasso def. Carl Jammes Martin
Super featherweight: Reito Tsutsumi def. Raymundo Rojas Garcia
Super middleweight: Bek Nurmaganbet def. Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez
Super middleweight: Brayan Leon def. Hector Aguirre
Middleweight: Emiliano Rojo def. Flavius Biea
Super featherweight: Sultan Almohammed def. Erick Jahir Urvina Villegas
Source: Sports
0 Comments