Esteemed coach Robert Garcia is intrigued by Canelo Alvarez’s performance against Christian Mbilla, especially after the “beating” he received from Terence Crawford.

Even though he may not be able to stand the beatings, Nevertheless, Canelo was comprehensively outpointed by “Bud”who retired a few months after his September super middleweight bout.

As Crawford became the undisputed king of three divisions, his departure from the sport left behind four world titles, including the WBC belt.

As a result, Mbilli was promoted from “interim” to full WBC champion, which in turn gave him the opportunity to fight Canelo on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Like Alvarez, the Frenchman won’t fight for almost a year; not since his 10-round draw against undefeated rival Lester Martinez.

However, unlike his next opponent, Mbilli appears to be in excellent physical condition and can fight at a speedy pace, although perhaps lacking defensive finesse.

The 31-year-old could therefore cause problems for Canelo, who, according to Garcia, will do his job without any problems.

I’m talking to YSM sports mediathe top coach highlighted Mbilla’s durability as a key factor and was curious to see how Alvarez would respond to such resistance.

“Mbilli is tough, man. He had a really good fight against Lester [Martinez]and Lester is also a great fighter so it will be engaging to see how Canelo comes back from the beating he took [against Crawford].

“It’s a close fight, I still favor Canelo [over Mbilli]but it won’t be uncomplicated.”

Many suspect that Canelo is 35 years elderly and close to retirement, but a victory over Mbilli will certainly put him in the huge fights at 168 and maybe even 175 pounds.

The reaction came quickly after Oleksandr Usyk’s 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Pyramids on Saturday, with the winner, loser and heavyweight architects weighing in on the outcome and what would come next.

Usyk dedicates the victory to Ukraine

Usyk briefly outlined his immediate assessment. “I’m winning, that’s good,” he said. He then turned to his opponent. “Rico is an amazing fighter. He prepared very well. It was a tough fight. He’s a threatening guy. Substantial, forceful, full of heart. Respect for him.”

A Ukrainian whose family is still affected by the war in the country said his daughter contacted her before the official result was announced. “My people are under bombs right now. My daughter is in a bomb shelter and she texted me, ‘Dad, I love you. You win.’ She was scared but ecstatic. This victory belongs to the entire Ukrainian nation.” He added: “Thank you, my Lord Jesus Christ.”

When asked about his future, Usyk again raised the prospect of fighting Tyson Fury, who has been retired since early 2025. “I’m sure Tyson Fury is not retired. He wants this fight, I want this fight. We’ll see,” Usyk said. “I have two, maybe three fights left.”

Verhoeven: “I showed I belonged”

Verhoeven, who was competing in just his second professional boxing fight, felt the fight was tighter than the ending suggested. “I thought the fight was close and maybe even close in the later rounds,” he said. He accepted referee Mark Lyson’s decision, noting he was still on his feet with seconds until the bell, and called the evening a learning experience.

“I came here to shock the world and showed that I belong to this team. Usyk is the best for a reason. Huge respect,” said Verhoeven. He made it clear that he intended to stay in the sport. “I’m here to stay as a boxer. I’m not here to compete, I’m here to take control.”

Verhoeven’s coach, Peter Fury, said the break was fair, adding that his fighter was exhausted and would likely have been stopped in the 12th round anyway.

Alalshikh looks to Germany and Istanbul

Turki Alalshikh immediately moved on to Usyk’s next steps, confirming that he will meet with the champion to discuss a potential fight with Agit Kabayel in Germany in delayed 2026. He also announced a bigger event for Usyk in Istanbul, near Hagia Sophia, in 2027.

Kabayel, the WBC interim heavyweight champion, has long been pushing for this fight. “Usyk will have to fight me next,” he said. “Normally he has to fight me, Usyk. I hope I’ll be next in line.” Kabayel called Saturday’s fight a spectacle rather than a real sporting test, calling it an “exhibition fight.”

World Boxing News has live results from Wembley Arena in London as Adam Azim takes on Steve Claggett in the super lightweight main event on the BBC’s Boxxer card.

Azim returns looking to continue his undefeated streak against battle-tested Canadian veteran Steve Claggett.

The card also features Juergen Uldedaj and undefeated Francesca Hennessy, as well as several emerging British talents in action.

World Boxing News updates the results of each fight in the tab below after the fights are completed.

Azim vs Claggett match results

All times are in UK local time – BST.

21:41

Adam Azim he stopped Steve Claggett in three rounds after defeating the Canadian in the second. Total domination.

21:15

Francesca Hennessy defeated Aurora De Persio by sixth round stoppage to retain the WBC Silver Bantamweight title.

20:13

Another towel thrown in as Joel Kodua defeated Will Harrison and defended the English welterweight title.

19:21

Ergal Elezaj forces the corner to throw in the towel in the fifth round as the heavyweight defeated Dan Garber.

18:59

Saqib Mehmood he scored a knockdown in the first round and even did push-ups during the count before ending the show with a stoppage victory. Mehmood is now 3-0.

18:14

Abdul Khan unleashed a brutal body attack, landing three knockdowns with powerful low shots before the referee stepped in in the second round, waving and waving the fight to an end.

17:29

Derrick Osadolor he dropped Ryan Labor twice before coming in the towel and securing the heavyweight victory.

17:06

Oscar McCracken started the action with a four-round knockout of Steven Wallace in the welterweight division Mohammad Bilal Ali moved to 11-1.

Azim vs. Claggett

Azim enters the main event at Wembley Arena with a perfect 14-0 record and another chance to move closer to world title contention.

Claggett arrives with much more experience and has shared the ring with an elite team over the course of a career spanning over fifty professional competitions.

All fights will be updated as results come in throughout the night, and more live coverage will be available on World Boxing News.

Premises: Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, UK
Order: British Boxing Board of Control
Promoter: Boxxer (Ben Shalom)
Program: DAZN, BBC Two (UK)

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.