Former World Champion Canelo Alvarez will make a comeback on September 12

JAKARTA - Former Mexican super middleweight world champion Saul Canelo Alvarez is confirmed to return to the ring on September 12, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The certainty was conveyed directly by Canelo together with the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia Turki Alalshikh through a video uploaded on the social media X on Thursday.

"September 12 will be the fight. This will be the first fight for Canelo Promotions," Alalshikh said as reported by ESPN.

Canelo, 35, will be the main star in the boxing event themed "Mexico Against the World". This fight was held to commemorate Mexico's Independence Day.

There has been no word on who Canelo's opponent will be or who else might appear on the show. However, Alalshikh hinted that Canelo would fight for the world title in the main event.

"[Alvarez] will fight in the main event for the world title, and this will be a surprise in Saudi Arabia, God willing," he said.

Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KO) last fought in September 2025 against Terence Crawford. He suffered a defeat by a unanimous decision, losing the WBA Super, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles.

He then underwent elbow surgery shortly after the defeat and hopes to return in February. However, he needs additional time to recover.

Currently, the WBC, IBF, and WBO belts are vacant due to Crawford's retirement. Jose Armando Resendiz was recently crowned the full WBA champion as well as Diego Pacheco and Hamzah Sheeraz are expected to fight for the WBO title.