Oscar De La Hoya spoke out after Canelo Alvarez’s fight with Christian Mbilli, questioning the Mexican’s ambitions as he approaches retirement.

The 35-year-old has not fought since losing four world titles to Terence Crawford, whose unanimous decision victory made him the undisputed three-weight champion in September.

However, since Crawford later retired and vacated all four super middleweight belts, Canelo is now scheduled to face WBC champion Mbilli in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

The two teams are scheduled to meet in September, and Alvarez will look to prove that he is still capable of competing at the highest level.

Mbilli, on the other hand, is looking to establish himself as the 168-pound flagship operator after rising from “interim” to full WBC champion.

Like Canelo, the Frenchman has not fought since last September, when he boxed to a 10-round draw with undefeated challenger Lester Martinez.

It could therefore be said that Mbilli’s world-class credentials remain somewhat questionable, at least in the eyes of Canelo’s former promoter De La Hoya.

I’m talking to Fighting Hub TVthe Golden Boy boss revealed that he does not rate Mbilla as Alvarez’s opponent, nor does he think it will be a particularly successful event in Riyad.

“Mbilli, come on. I just don’t like this fight, especially if it doesn’t happen here in the US. Do we have to watch the fight at 9 a.m. again? I’m just not a fan of it.”

“I would love for Canelo to fight here in Vegas in September with all the fans cheering him on. That’s what fight fans want to experience – massive events.

“Every fighter has his peak and then you start to see the exit coming. [Canelo’s] He’s a few fights away from retirement, so I don’t blame him for taking the money and running. But I feel like he still has a few good fights left against great fighters. Not Mbilla.

Since Canelo and De La Hoya rarely see eye to eye, perhaps it’s not surprising that the two-time Hall of Famer isn’t the biggest supporter of his former client fighting again.

Norman immediately took action and looked sharper from the first round, putting Wagner on the defensive with difficult right hands and quick combinations. Wagner tried to stay dynamic early, but Norman’s speed and power quickly separated the two fighters.

The finish came in the second round when Norman dropped Wagner with a bulky right hand for the first time in the exchange. Wagner got up, but Norman quickly returned to the attack and moments later scored another knockdown with a combination that seriously injured Wagner.

After the second knockdown, Wagner indicated he could not continue the fight, which led to the referee waving the fight after a brief consultation with the ringside doctor.

Norman said: “I came out trying to take his head off. I took a substantial swing. But then I decided to take it straightforward, work on my jab and stick to my fundamentals. And that’s when I got the job done.”

“I was thinking about working on the body shot. I looked at him and saw he wasn’t very mighty in the stomach.”

“I learned a lot with Ronnie Shields. I’m calmer and more composed. This ring is my home now. We’ll see what happens next. No matter what, I’ll take care of business.”

The performance was an critical return for Norman after losing his WBO welterweight title to Haney last November. Norman was knocked down in the third round of that fight before losing a wide decision, but he showed no hesitation in his first appearance since the defeat.

Norman improved to 29-1 with his 23rd knockout victory, while Wagner dropped to 19-3. The quick finish also puts Norman in good position for bigger fights in the welterweight division as he tries to get back into title contention.

Keyshawn Davis returned home to Norfolk and finally closed the book on Nahir Albright, though not before frustration simmered from the fight and briefly threatened to turn on him.

Davis survived a mid-fight scare and a two-point deduction before defeating Albright by unanimous decision at Scope Arena during the inaugural DAZN Top Rank event.

Davis vs. Albright fight

The lightweight fighter won twice by scores of 117-109 and 118-108 in a fight that brought additional pressure after an overturned result from their first meeting in 2023.

Davis also entered the contest being analyzed after initially making the lightweight limit and later returning to the scale to gain 140 pounds.

From the first round, Davis looked determined to leave no doubt. The Norfolk star landed solid punches, taunting and smirking at Albright, gradually increasing the pressure in the third and fourth rounds as his right hand began to land consistently.

However, Albright did not agree to disappear quietly.

The Philadelphian caught Davis with a pointed right hand in the fifth round that suddenly changed the atmosphere in the arena and forced the hometown fighter to react.

Controversy in the seventh round

As the clinch exchanges became more heated, Davis lost his composure in the seventh round, picking up Albright and throwing him to the canvas during a break in the action.

The referee deducted two points.

Instead of slowing Davis down, the incident seemed to kick him into another gear. He came back and shot with more urgency, leading with right hands through the middle rounds before landing combinations tardy to try to force a stoppage that never came.

Albright absorbed a lot in the final rounds but didn’t give up.

After the fight, Davis admitted that frustration got the best of him during the controversial exchange.

“He liked to hit and hold. He does that. So he was on my neck and I got livid and turned him over,” Davis said.

The lightweight fighter also revealed that the fifth-round shot changed his mentality for the rest of the fight.

“What really made me make that decision was he caught me with one good shot. And I was like, ‘I’m going to beat you up.’ You won’t achieve anything else. “

Davis added: “I felt amazing. I felt good. He’s a crafty fighter. He was around. I tried to fight for a knockout. We all saw he was injured. I just didn’t understand it. But I made the decision and that’s what matters.”

Norman Jr wins by TKO

In a joint feature film Brian Norman Jr. he stopped Josh Wagner in the second round after dropping the Canadian twice before the ring doctor stopped the fight due to a shoulder injury.

Norman improved to 29-1 with 23 knockouts.

“I came out trying to rip his head off,” Norman said. “But then I decided to relax, work on my poking and stick to the basics. And then I did my job.”

Results below the card

welterweight: Kelvin Davis won a split decision over Peter Dobson after gaining an early lead with his movement and outside boxing. The scores were 98-92 for Dobson and 99-91, 97-93 for Davis.

featherweight: Yan Santana remained undefeated after a hard-fought unanimous decision over Cristian Cruz to retain the NABO title. The scores were 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92.

Super welterweight: Keon Davis improved to 5-0, defeating Edwine Humaine Jr. in six rounds. The scores of all three cards were 60-54.

Super Featherweight: Dedrick Crocklem defeated Eric Howard by unanimous decision over six rounds, overall score 60-54.

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.