Canelo Alvarez will return to the ring this weekend, challenging Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh.
Although the Saudi city has been the scene of violent attacks in recent weeks, Canelo has anticipated his first fight 13 months ago, after being defeated by his main partner Terence Crawford in Las Vegas.
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Against Mbilli, the 36-year-old Canelo faces an uphill task; The younger Cameronian, 31, and undefeated, enters the title for the first time.
Canelo Alvarez at the weigh-in for his fight with Terence Crawford (Getty)
Last season, on the Canelo vs. Crawford undercard, Mbilli fought Lester Martinez to retain the WBC interim title, but later retired to regular champion with Crawford.
Can Canelo prove that he is still among the best in the world? Or, returning from the elbow with his hand, will he show that he is in the twilight of his career? This is all you need to know.
When is the fight?
Canelo vs. Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No details have been announced yet, but the main schedule is expected to begin at 6pm GMT (11am PT/1pm CT/2pm ET), with the main event ring to follow around 10pm GMT (3pm PT/5pm CT/6pm ET).
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How can I keep him?
The event will be live on DAZN pay-per-view at a cost of £24.99 ($79.99 in the US) only, and on DAZN’s Latest Tier – which is priced at £24.99 per month. You can purchase Battle or the Ultimate Tier subscription here.
The preceding event, and why is this a question?
The appointment of the fight card has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, due to the many attacks on Riyadh airports. The Saudi authorities have left more than three hundred people injured and at least 21 dead, as a result of strikes by the Yemen-based Houthis.
The international airport has reopened, but the US State Department has urged citizens to “re-enter Saudi Arabia due to the threat of drones and missiles,” while areas near the Yemeni border are listed as “do not go because of terrorism.”
A large plume of black smoke rises from a fuel storage facility at King Khalid International Airport (Reuters)
Despite these attacks, Saudi adviser and champion boxer Turki Alalshikh continued to promote the fight, and won earlier this month.[Canelo] fear nothing”, adding: “My country is the home of the two Holy Mosques, a land of peace, safety, rich civilization, deep history and kind people”. Canelo arrived in Riyadh on Monday and said in a video on the Alalshikh X program: “I love being here in Riyadh, and I am excited to fight on Saturday.”
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However, the bout could be canceled by one undercard, via journalist Dan Rafael, who said that Lindolfo Delgado was “not likely” to face Arthur Biyarslanov; Delgado and his team reportedly did not make travel plans, although Biyarslanov had already arrived in Riyadh. Rafael also said that DAZN will present a wider future event from the London studio.
Odds
Cinnamon – 4/11
Since – 9/4
Draw – 14/1
Christian Mbilli in action with Lester Martinez on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard (Getty)
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Battle card in full
Subject to change; ‘C’ stands for champion;
Christian Mbilli (C) vs.
Jaime Munguia vs. Nikita Zon (super-middleweight)
Rafael Espinoza (C) vs Ricardo Blandon (WBO title)
David Picasso vs. Carl James Martin
Reito Tsutsumi vs Raymundo Rojas Garcia (super-featherweight)
Reito Tsutsumi (back) emerged as an exciting contender for the Super-feathers (Getty)
Bek Nurmaganbet vs Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez (super-middleweight)
vs. Hector Aguirre (super-middleweight)
Emiliano Rojo vs Flavius Biea (middleweight)
Sultan Almohammed vs Erick Jahir Urvina Villegas (super-featherweight)
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