Boxing
Can Christian Mbilli Shock the Boxing World and Force Canelo into Retirement?
Published
2 hours agoon
The former two-time undisputed super-middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) is a legend and a future Hall of Famer, but on Saturday night, October 31st, will the WBC champion Christian Mbilli send Canelo into retirement?
This world title bout is an intriguing matchup because it features Canelo’s skill set versus Mbilli’s work rate. The action is set to take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, airing live on DAZN PPV.
Back in June 2025, Christian Mbilli stopped Maciej Sulecki in the first round and won the WBC title. Three months later, Mbilli was involved in a hard-fought battle as his bout against Lester Martinez resulted in a split draw.
Going into this fight, the defending champion Christian Mbilli is the underdog. Despite the odds being against him, Mbilli has the opportunity to defeat the great Canelo Alvarez and send him into retirement.
Losing a fight is rare, but it’s not new to Canelo. What would be new is for him to lose this upcoming bout because it will mark the first time Canelo ever suffered back-to-back losses.
Suffering consecutive defeats could push Alvarez towards retirement. It’s a bold statement, and due to the statement, one would ask: what is Christian Mbilli’s path to victory?
Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) is a determined, physical, and hungry world champion. He’s facing a tall task, but his path to victory is his aggression and his punch volume.
The 31-year-old Mbilli has incredible endurance, which allows him to constantly press forward and attack the body and head of his opponent. Alvarez has experienced stamina issues in the past, so outworking and outlasting Alvarez is Mbilli’s clear path to victory.
On the flip side, if the 36-year-old Canelo Alvarez has anything left in the tank, then this bout could be tailor-made for him due to the fact that Mbilli will be standing right in front of him.
In the past, Alvarez has done really well against opponents who lack movement and footwork. With Mbilli posting up in a neutral position and constantly in attack mode, Canelo will have many counterpunching opportunities.
Canelo will have his chances in regards to landing the left hook, the uppercut, and shots to the body. Speaking of body punches, those types of shots are a big part of Mbilli’s arsenal, and it will be interesting to see if he can consistently land shots to Canelo’s body.
Styles make fights, and that’s why the Canelo vs Mbilli fight will be an action-packed event. However, the question is, on Halloween night, will Canelo be sent into retirement, or will he take a step towards one last run at becoming undisputed once again?
About the author
Vince DWriter
Sports/Entertainment Writer . Born and raised in New Orleans. Attended college at THE PURDUE UNIVERSITY
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Boxing
Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian MBilli Live Results and DAZN PPV Start Times
Published
3 hours agoon
October 31, 2026
Canelo Alvarez challenges Christian M’Billi for the WBC super middleweight title on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Mexican returns from his defeat by Terence Crawford against an unbeaten champion making his first defence.
Their 12-round fight headlines “Mexico vs. The World,” a nine-bout DAZN PPV card featuring three world championship contests.
Coverage upcoming
- Date
- Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Venue
- The Venue in Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Card starts
- 10:00 am EDT / 2:00 pm GMT
- Expected ring walks
- 5:00 pm EDT / 9:00 pm GMT
- Title(s)
- WBC super middleweight world title
- Scheduled distance
- 12 rounds
Live results will appear here on fight night.
What Time Does Canelo vs. M’Billi Start?
The official timetable lists:
- Opening coverage: 10 am ET / 7 am PT / 2 pm GMT.
- PPV card: 1:47 pm ET / 10:47 am PT / 5:47 pm GMT.
- Expected main-event ring walks: 4:55 pm ET / 1:55 pm PT / 8:55 pm GMT.
- Main event: 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT / 9 pm GMT.
The headline fight will not start before 5 p.m. ET. Ring walks and individual bout times remain approximate because earlier contests can affect the running order.
How to Watch and How Much It Costs
Canelo vs. M’Billi costs $79.99 on DAZN PPV in the United States. Eligible DAZN Ultimate subscribers can watch without a separate PPV purchase.
Watch Canelo vs. M’Billi on DAZN.
Why Canelo Is Fighting M’Billi
Canelo lost his undisputed super middleweight championship to Crawford in September 2025. After 13 months outside the ring, he seeks to regain the WBC belt rather than take a non-title comeback fight.
“I don’t believe in shortcuts. I want to become a world champion again, and that’s why I want to face the best. Mbilli is the world champion,” Canelo said at Thursday’s official press conference.
The four-division champion became undisputed at 168 pounds by stopping Caleb Plant in 2021. Saturday’s contest offers one championship, with the super middleweight limit set at 168 pounds / 76.2kg.
“I’m the challenger now, but in my mind, I’ve always been the champion, ever since I was a little kid,” he said.
Canelo’s three professional defeats came against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol and Crawford. He has never lost consecutive fights.
Who Is Christian M’Billi?
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, M’Billi represented France at the 2016 Olympics and now trains in Montreal under Marc Ramsay.
He stopped Maciej Sulecki in the first round to capture the interim WBC title in June 2025. His next appearance ended in a split draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford undercard, a contest the WBC named its 2025 Fight of the Year.
The sanctioning body elevated M’Billi to full champion in January following Crawford’s retirement. He has not fought since the Martinez draw.
“I’m ready to shock the world,” M’Billi said.
Facing the biggest name of his professional career, the champion drew a clear distinction between admiration and ambition.
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo and his career, and I congratulate him on everything he has achieved. But inside the ring, it will be a different story, and I’m coming to win.”
Records, Age, Height and Reach
Canelo Alvarez
Record: 63-3-2, 39 knockouts.
Age: 36.
Height: 5ft 7½in.
Reach: 70½in.
Trainer: Eddy Reynoso.
Christian M’Billi
Record: 29-0-1, 24 knockouts.
Age: 31.
Height: 5ft 8½in.
Reach: 72in.
Trainer: Marc Ramsay.
Full Fight Card and Estimated Bout Times
Ricardo Blandon replaces Lorenzo Parra against Rafael Espinoza. The planned IBF title fight between Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov is off the card.
The revised running order follows. Times are ET / UK GMT and may shift.
Opening Card
- 10:02 a.m. / 2:02 p.m.: Hector Aguirre vs. Brayan Leon
Super middleweight, eight rounds. - 10:44 am / 2:44 pm: Carlos Emiliano Rojo vs. Flavius Biea
Super middleweight, eight rounds. - 11:26 a.m. / 3:26 p.m.: Marcos Vazquez vs. Bek Nurmaganbet
Light heavyweight, 10 rounds. - 12:16 p.m. / 4:16 p.m.: Erick Villegas vs. Sultan Almohammed
Lightweight, six rounds. - 12:50 p.m. / 4:50 p.m.: David Picasso vs. Carl Martin
WBC Silver featherweight title, 10 rounds.

PPV Card
- 1:47 pm / 5:47 pm: Raymundo Rojas vs. Reito Tsutsumi
Junior lightweight, 10 rounds. - 2:42 p.m. / 6:42 p.m.: Rafael Espinoza vs. Ricardo Blandon
WBO featherweight world title, 12 rounds. - 3:44 p.m. / 7:44 p.m. Nikita Zon
WBA super middleweight world title, 12 rounds. - 5 p.m. / 9 p.m.: Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian M’Billi
WBC super middleweight world title, 12 rounds.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
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Usyk Aiming for Cruiserweight Showdown with Benavidez: Latest Fight Report
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14 hours agoon
October 30, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk vs David Benavidez might be a reality for 2027, and it would see Usyk moving back down to cruiserweight, not Benavidez going up to heavyweight.
But the former undisputed cruiserweight king would rather face Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) at cruiserweight, because he’d like to go undisputed at that weight a second time, matching what he’s done as a heavyweight.
Usyk (25-0, 16 KO) vacated all of the heavyweight titles this year, and his only fight for 2026 is going to wind up being a sort of curious novelty bout where he stopped kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round, after 10 rounds of struggle that left several questions.
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Boxing
Unified Champion Urges Lomachenko to Take a Tune-Up Before Upcoming Fight: No Excuses Allowed
Published
21 hours agoon
October 30, 2026
Vasiliy Lomachenko looks set to return and target the undisputed super-featherweight title, but one unified world champion has told the veteran to take a warm-up first, so that he has no excuses if he comes out second best.
‘Loma’ became a three-division world champion but was always vocal in his ambition to become an undisputed world champion and had that dream crushed when he lost a controversial decision to Devin Haney in 2023.
Lomacheko captured the IBF lightweight title the following year with a stoppage victory over George Kambososbut announced his retirement in 2025 before recently U-turning on that decision and announcing his comeback.
Since then, it has become obvious that he is targeting all four of the world titles at 130lbs, three of which are suddenly in the hands of Texas’ O’Shaquie Foster – who defeated Emanuel Navarrete on Saturday – and the other being held by Belfast’s Anthony Cacace.
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Can Christian Mbilli Shock the Boxing World and Force Canelo into Retirement?
Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian MBilli Live Results and DAZN PPV Start Times
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