“Canelo Álvarez will return to the ring on September 12 in Riyad to face WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli,” said Turki Alalshikh.

The fight comes a year after Canelo lost to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas – a Netflix event that reportedly attracted more than 41 million viewers. Before this loss, Canelo had spent years at the top of the division, recording nine successful super middleweight title defenses during his undisputed title run.

Mbilli becomes the undefeated WBC champion after winning the interim belt against Maciej Sulecki, before being elevated to full champion in January. The French-Cameroonian fighter has been systematically climbing the rankings and now he is fighting for the title with one of the biggest names in boxing.

“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico and continue to build my legacy,” Canelo said. “Mbilli is undefeated and a great fighter, and I respect that.”

Canelo also made it clear that his preparation remains unchanged despite the stage and opponent.

“My focus is always on preparing, performing and giving the fans another great night of boxing,” Canelo said. “On September 12 in Riyad, we start a modern chapter with the same discipline, ambition and vision that have accompanied me throughout my career.”

Mbilli took into account the scale of the opportunity and the interest surrounding the match-up.

“My last fight was the fight of the year,” Mbilli said. “In September against Canelo Alvarez, it will be the fight of the decade.”

“And when the fight is over, the world will witness my historic victory,” he added.

A press conference is scheduled for May 23 in Cairo, where both fighters are expected to meet publicly face-to-face for the first time since their official fight.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation about Canelo’s next opponent and gives Mbilli the biggest fight of his career against one of the biggest names in the sport.

World Boxing News presents the Doncaster scorecard as David Allen takes on Filip Hrgovic in a heavyweight clash at the Keepmoat Stadium.

British heavyweight David Allen returns tonight in front of the home crowd against a former world title challenger Filip Hrgovic in a hazardous fight at the crossroads.

Allen looks to continue his Cinderella story as Hrgovic tries to force his way into the heavyweight title fight after recovering from the first defeat of his career.

A win for Allen would be the biggest win of his career, while Hrgovic knows another defeat could severely damage his hopes of returning to world-class competition.

WBN provides the live scoreboard for the competition below, as well as live results throughout the night.

Allen vs. Hrgovic scorecard

David Allen vs. Filip Hrgovic fight

Announcement

Allen enters the fight looking to build on recent victories and secure a unique win of his heavyweight career against one of the most hazardous fighters in the division.

Hrgovic arrives with a 19-1 record and knows a victory will take him back to the world title after losing to Daniel Dubois.

The heavyweight clash will headline the Queensberry Promotions event in Doncaster and will be of huge importance for both fighters in the second half of 2026.

The Allen vs Hrgovic match result will continue and live coverage will be available on World Boxing News.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

After previously training Nonito Donaire, Robert Garcia wondered how his current protégé, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, would fare against the minor league legend.

Donaire became a multi-division world champion under Garcia’s tutelage, having previously remained undefeated at the highest level lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013.

The Filipino then had a few featherweight fights before dropping back down to 118 pounds in 2019 to face Naoya Inoue.

Their invigorating encounter ultimately resulted in Inoue winning by unanimous decision, while the 2022 rematch ended with Donaire losing in the second round.

Still fighting at 43, “The Filipino Flash” is considered one of the all-time bantamweight greatest, and “Bam” Rodriguez hopes to become a three-division world champion in his next fight.

The 26-year-old will face Antonio Vargas, the WBA champion, on June 13, after the unification of the super flyweight division after successive breaks in the fights against Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez.

A win could then put him in an undisputed super bantamweight clash with Inoue, who, like “Bam,” is widely considered a top pound-for-pound star.

As for a prime-to-prime matchup with Donaire, tops Coach Garcia told The Spit Bucket Podcast thisalthough Rodriguez still has time to prove him wrong, he would have to favor his former fighter.

“Bam loves Nonito – his favorite Nonito fighter – and Bam may not like it, but I think I would choose Nonito.

“Bam has at least three to four years left in his career. There is still so much to show, that he will do, that he will achieve.

“Nonita, thanks to me, we have achieved a lot.”

Garcia recalls Donaire’s second-round finish over Fernando Montiel in 2011 as a particularly memorable moment, while expecting “Bam” to find similar success in his career.