Canelo Álvarez is back, and he’s challenging for the WBC super middleweight title against unbeaten champion Christian Mbilli at The Venue in Riyadh on Saturday, 31 October. It’s Canelo’s first fight since he lost his undisputed crown to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Mbilli is making his first defence. The Riyadh Season card is billed as “Mexico vs The World”. DAZN still lists the fight times as TBA, but the running order published this week has the main event ringwalks at around 22:00 GMT, which is midnight Riga time going into Sunday.
Tale of the tape
 Christian Mbilli | Canelo Álvarez | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 29-0-1 (24 KO) | 63-3-2 (39 KO) |
| Title | WBC super middleweight champion | Challenger (former undisputed champion) |
| Age | 31 | 36 |
| Height | 5’8″ | 5’7″ |
| Reach | 72″ | 70″ |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| From | French-Cameroonian, based in Canada (born in Yaoundé) | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Last fight | D (SD) Lester Martínez, 13.09.2025 | L (UD) Terence Crawford, 13.09.2025 |
Records, ages, heights and reaches: DAZN’s fight guide. Stance and birthplaces: Wikipedia.
Christian Mbilli: the champion who keeps coming
Mbilli is a pressure fighter, and his record shows it. Twenty-four of his 29 wins are knockouts. He won the WBC interim title by stopping Maciej Sulęcki in the first round in June 2025. Then he drew with Lester Martínez on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard that September, on a split decision.
He didn’t win the full title in the ring. The WBC elevated him to full champion on 27 January 2026 after the belt became vacant. So this is his first defence, and he’s getting the biggest name in boxing for it. His decision win over veteran Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2024 also showed he can win over the distance, not just early.
Recent form:
- D (SD) Lester Martínez, 13.09.2025, Las Vegas
- W KO 1 Maciej Sulęcki, 27.06.2025 (WBC interim title)
- W UD Sergiy Derevyanchenko, 17.08.2024
Canelo Álvarez: one more title run
Canelo has done almost everything there is to do in boxing. In 2021 he became the first undisputed champion at super middleweight, and he became undisputed again in 2025 when he beat William Scull in Riyadh. Then Crawford moved up to 168 and outpointed him over 12 rounds in front of a huge crowd at Allegiant Stadium.
He’s 36 now and hasn’t stopped anyone since Caleb Plant in November 2021. But he’s still very hard to hurt. He’s never been knocked out in 68 pro fights, and his counterpunching and body work are still among the best around.
Recent form:
- L UD Terence Crawford, 13.09.2025, Las Vegas (undisputed super middleweight titles)
- W UD William Scull, 03.05.2025, Riyadh
- W UD Edgar Berlanga, 14.09.2024, Las Vegas
- W UD Jaime Munguía, 04.05.2024, Las Vegas
- W UD Jermell Charlo, 30.09.2023, Las Vegas
Styles: how Canelo vs Mbilli plays out
This is pressure against counterpunching. Mbilli comes forward, throws a lot, and wants to drag opponents into a fight. Canelo is at his best when people walk into his counters, especially the left hook to the body and the right hand over the top.
That suits Canelo in principle. The question is whether he can still keep up with that kind of output for 12 rounds at 36. Against Crawford, he was outworked by a faster, busier fighter. Mbilli isn’t Crawford, but he’ll throw a lot more than Canelo wants to.
Mbilli has a small reach edge and is five years younger. Canelo has far more experience in big fights and has never been stopped. Neither has Mbilli.
Key factors
- Workrate. Mbilli’s volume against Canelo’s timing.
- Canelo’s age. He’s 36 and coming off a 13-month break.
- Body shots. Canelo’s body work could slow down a pressure fighter.
- Experience. Canelo has fought in the biggest fights in the sport. Mbilli hasn’t.
Our pick: Canelo by decision
Mbilli’s pressure is a real test, and we wouldn’t be shocked if he takes it. But Canelo’s timing and body work should let him win more of the exchanges that matter, especially over the second half of the fight. We expect a hard, close fight that goes to the scorecards. Pick: Canelo by decision. A busy, aggressive Mbilli winning on points is the upset.
Also on the card
One more world title is on the line in Riyadh. Rafael Espinoza defends the WBO featherweight belt against Nicaragua’s Ricardo Blandón (21-6, 14 KO), the WBO’s No. 15 contender. Blandón replaces Lorenzo Parra after the local commission didn’t authorise Parra to fight, and the WBO approved the switch last week. The vacant IBF super lightweight title fight between Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov is off after Delgado withdrew, and no replacement opponent has been named. DAZN bills Jaime Munguía vs Nikita Zon as the co-main event. It was announced as a WBA super middleweight title defence, but the WBA said on 8 October that it hasn’t approved it, and it hadn’t announced a new ruling by Tuesday 27 October. David Picasso vs Carl Martin is on the Mexico vs The World card too.
Where to watch Canelo vs Mbilli LIVE Stream
- Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026 (the main event falls just after midnight on Sunday 1 November in Riga and Riyadh)
- Venue: The Venue, Riyadh
- Main event ringwalks: around 18:00 ET = 22:00 GMT / 00:00 Riga (Sunday), 1:00 a.m. in Riyadh, according to the running order published by Uncrowned, which streams the prelims
- Prelims: 10:15 ET = 14:15 GMT / 16:15 Riga. Pay-per-view card: 14:00 ET = 18:00 GMT / 20:00 Riga
- Official times: DAZN still lists the times as TBA. Earlier the organiser put the main fight at 3:00 a.m. Riyadh time and the WBC listed it at 8:00 p.m. ET, so check DAZN on fight week for the final times.
Clock note: the UK and Latvia moved their clocks back on 25 October, so on fight night the UK is on GMT and Riga is UTC+2. The US doesn’t change until 1 November, so ET is still EDT (UTC-4). Saudi Arabia is UTC+3 all year.
How to watch: DAZN, on pay-per-view. DAZN lists it at $79.99 in the US and £24.99 in the UK, or as part of its Ultimate tier.
