Saul “Canelo” Alvarez confirmed the reports about his fight with WBC champion Christian Mbilli in an official statement.

Canelo, who has a professional record of 63-3-2 and 39 KOs, last fought in September 2025 when defeated by pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.

The Mexican icon lost his undisputed super middleweight title that night, his first defeat in the division, but now he hopes to win one of the belts outright when he challenges fresh champion Mbilli on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Confirming the news, Alvarez said:

“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico and continue to build my legacy.

“Mbilli is undefeated and he’s a great fighter and I respect that. But my focus is always on my preparation, performance and giving the fans another great night of boxing.

“On September 12 in Riyad, we start a fresh chapter with the same discipline, ambition and vision that have accompanied me throughout my career.”

Mbilli secured the WBC interim belt by defeating Maciej Sulecki in June 2025 and regained it after an engaging draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo vs Crawford card. When Crawford retired, the 29-0-1 Mbilli was elevated to full champion.

The fresh champion announced the “fight of the decade” in his own statement.

“My last fight was the fight of the year. 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.”

The fight will be the culmination of the gala titled “Mexico vs. the World”, and details of the card will be revealed at the press conference opening the gala, which will be held next week in Egypt.

BBBofC British lightweight champion Louie O’Doherty improved to 12-0 (3 KO) with a unanimous decision victory over Ahmed “No Mercy” Hatim, retaining his British title and adding the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title.

Hatim had it moments earlier, rocking O’Doherty with a right hand in the second round, but O’Doherty gradually took control with sharper combinations and a faster work rate. As the rounds progressed, the fight became increasingly physical, with O’Doherty landing consistently and Hatim struggling to keep up. O’Doherty closed the final rounds strongly, including a dominant tenth and a busy twelfth round in which Hatim was forced to hold out multiple times. The scores were 119-109 and 118-110 twice.

In a joint film, Michael Gomez Jr. improved his record to 23-2 (8 KO) after a sixth-round victory over Lee McGregor in a hard-fought lightweight fight.

The fight was action-packed from the first round, with both fighters trading aggressively. Gomez hurt McGregor several times during the fight and dropped him with a right hand slow in the third round. McGregor continued to fight despite swelling around his eye and blood from his nose, but Gomez’s pressure eventually became too much. In the sixth round, McGregor’s corner threw in the towel after another sustained attack.

Welterweight Joe Hayden improved to 23-0 (3 KO) after a fifth-round victory over Ryan Frost in a six-round fight. Hayden was in control throughout and fired shots to the body in the third and fifth rounds before referee Michael Alexander stopped the fight.

2024 Olympic gold medalist Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev improved to 2-0 (1 KO) with a six-round victory over replacement Alexis Torres. Muydinkhujaev controlled the fight with his jab and left hand, hurting Torres several times while winning on the scorecards.

Ted Jackson stopped Mike Byles in the first round after he scored a knockdown early in the fight and forced referee Michael Alexander to intervene. Jackson improved to 7-0 (2 KO).

Brad Casey also remained undefeated, improving to 5-0 (2 KO) after stopping Renars Rusin in the second round. Casey hurt Rusin with a right hand before referee Howard Foster stepped in to stop the fight.

Leighton Birchall remained undefeated after four rounds in a featherweight fight with Leonardo Baez.

Kian Hamilton improved to 2-0 with a four-round victory over Les Urry. Hamilton landed several sturdy body shots during the fight and closed the fight well as Urry spent most of the final round in survival mode.

John Tom Varey improved to 2-0 with a four-round decision over veteran journeyman Stephen Jackson. Varey controlled the action throughout, changing positions and repeatedly forcing Jackson into the ropes, looking for a late-fight stoppage.

Carl Fail improved his record to 12-0 (4 KO) after an eight-round victory over Luis Montelongo. Fail controlled the fight with his jabs and bodywork, hurting Montelongo several times during the fight, making the score 80-72.

Tonight at Doncaster, coach Jamie Moore threw in the towel in the third round to prevent Dave Allen from taking further punishment due to the ponderous hand of Filip Hrgovic.

Allen was a significant underdog on paper and when the opening bell rang, events unfolded exactly as many expected, even despite the vocal cheering from the home team at Eco-Power Stadium.

Hrgovic overtook the Briton from the very beginning and he didn’t budge until the towel came in and Allen lunged wildly and landed little in return. While he looked disappointed in the moment, the hometown hero said after the fight that he had implicit trust in his coaches, Moore and Nigel Travis.

“These two have been with me through it all. I love them to death. If Jamie and Nige say enough is enough. Thank you for taking care of me. If Jamie and Nige think keeping is the right choice, then it is the right choice.”

Allen made no excuses for his defeat, saying Hrgovic was simply too good for him, and thanked his fans for their support nonetheless.

Few will argue with Moore’s decision, especially considering Hrgovic’s reputation as one of the division’s most tough heavyweights makes the chances of Allen firing one decisive shot increasingly slim. His decision, which would not have been simple for a vocal audience, allowed his fighter to drop down one level and fight another day.

Moore’s decision comes amid ongoing debate over whether Ben Davison and team should have pulled Fabio Wardley out of his grueling fight with Daniel Dubois earlier before the referee stopped play in the eleventh round. Tonight, Allen’s team didn’t want to leave anything to chance.