“Canelo Álvarez will return to the ring on twelfth September in Riyadh to face WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli,” Turki Alalshikh stated.
The bout comes one yr after Canelo’s loss to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, a Netflix occasion that reportedly drew greater than 41 million viewers. Earlier than that defeat, Canelo spent years on the high of the division, recording 9 profitable tremendous middleweight title defenses throughout his undisputed championship run.
Mbilli enters because the unbeaten WBC champion after first successful the interim belt in opposition to Maciej Sulecki earlier than later being elevated to full champion in January. The French-Cameroonian contender has steadily climbed by the rankings and now steps right into a title struggle in opposition to considered one of boxing’s greatest names.
“After so a few years on this sport, my motivation remains to be the identical: to problem myself, signify Mexico, and proceed constructing my legacy,” Canelo stated. “Mbilli is undefeated, and an awesome fighter, and I respect that.”
Canelo additionally made clear that his preparation stays unchanged regardless of the stage and opponent.
“My focus is at all times on my preparation, efficiency, and giving the followers one other nice evening of boxing,” Canelo stated. “On September 12 in Riyadh, we start a brand new chapter with the identical self-discipline, ambition, and imaginative and prescient that has carried me all through my profession.”
Mbilli leaned into the size of the chance and the eye surrounding the matchup.
“My final struggle was the struggle of the yr,” Mbilli stated. “In September, in opposition to Canelo Alvarez, it is going to be the struggle of the last decade.”
“And when the struggle is over, the world will witness a historic victory for me,” he added.
A press convention is scheduled for Could 23 in Cairo, the place each fighters are anticipated to satisfy face-to-face publicly for the primary time because the struggle turned official.
The announcement ends weeks of hypothesis about Canelo’s subsequent opponent and offers Mbilli the highest-profile struggle of his profession in opposition to one of many greatest names within the sport.
