Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli Officially Held in Riyadh

JAKARTA - The fight between Mexican boxing star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, facing WBC super middleweight world champion Christian Mbilli, will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 31, 2026.

The fight was an important moment for Canelo to redefine his career after being stuck. The 36-year-old boxer last fought when he lost to Terence Crawford in September 2025.

The duel between Canelo and Mbilli was originally scheduled to take place on September 12, 2026. However, the fight had to be postponed since June 2026 because Canelo was not ready to undergo training.

Canelo said the decision to postpone the fight was made because he had to settle family affairs while ensuring that training preparations were running at maximum capacity.

"I've always been very disciplined with my training and at that time I wasn't ready to go into the training camp. That's the reason why I postponed this fight because I had to finish my family affairs first."

"Now everything is fine, I'm ready to train and we'll fight on October 31, 2026," Canelo said, quoted by ESPN.

The defeat to Crawford was Canelo's first minor result since May 2022. He had opened the door to a rematch, but the plan was scrapped after Crawford decided to retire from professional boxing in December 2025.

Canelo's career was also halted after undergoing elbow surgery in October last year to recover from a long-term injury.

On the other hand, Mbilli came into the fight with an unbeaten record. The boxer based in Montreal, Canada, earned the WBC full world champion status in January 2026, after previously holding the interim belt.

In his last appearance, Mbilli had to settle for a split draw against Lester Martinez. The duel took place as an additional party in the series of Canelo vs Crawford fights.

Now, Mbilli has the biggest opportunity of his career. He will face Canelo directly in a fight scheduled to take place in Riyadh on October 31, 2026.