Saul “Canelo” Alvarez looks to regain a share of the super middleweight crown in September when he faces WBC champion Christian Mbilli.

Canelo lost all four belts to Terence Crawford in 2025, suffering his first loss at 168 pounds and only his third overall after losses to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol.

When Crawford retired, the belts fell apart, and interim WBC titleholder Mbilli was one of the first to benefit. Having risen from interim to full champion, Mbilli now faces the biggest fight of his career against one of the sport’s up-to-date greats.

I’m talking to Fighting the noiseHall of Fame fighter Tim Bradley said he sees the fight only going one way, believing Mbilla’s aggressive style will be a golden opportunity for Alvarez to remind the boxing world of his quality and result in a comprehensive victory.

“He’s going to bust Mbilli’s ass. I like Mbilli – tough guy, come and hurt. It’s going to be a hell of a fight, but Canelo will be grabbing him and shooting him in the ass all night long. Uppercuts, hooks… Oh, it’s going to be bad.”

“Canelo looks like he’s He-Man. He’ll look like he’s back.”

The fight culminating in the “Mexico vs. the World” gala will take place on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. While the card is yet to be set, the fight could feature Canelo’s former rival-turned-training partner and modern WBA super middleweight champion Jaime Munguia.

If Alvarez wins, he won’t face Munguia for unification, but there will be no shortage of opponents. Other masters Osleys Iglesias and Both Hamzah Sheeraz have made it clear that they want to take a shot at the man many still consider to be the face of boxinglining up some intriguing options at 168 pounds. Mbilli, of course, intends to put an end to these plans before they begin.

Ryan Rozicki believes that when he goes to Bournemouth next Saturday for the main event of the first British Zuffa Boxing gala, he will face not only Chris Billam-Smith.

The Canadian boxer (21-1-1, 20 KO) will face former WBO cruiserweight champion Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO) in a 10-round cruiserweight fight at the Bournemouth International Center. Rozicki made it clear that he expected conditions in his hometown to work against him.

“Of course it is a disadvantage. I will face Chris. I will face the referee, judges, officials and these doctors. They will look for any reason to stop the fight so that he can win. I already know that,” Rozicki told Fighthype.

When asked how he planned to avoid leaving the result in the judges’ hands, Rozicki answered simply.

“With my hands.”

The fight will mark Billam-Smith’s debut under his up-to-date multi-fight contract with Zuffa Boxing. The player from Bournemouth will fight in front of his home crowd as a clear favorite against one of the best players in the division.

Rozicki also revealed a level of honesty rarely seen from athletes when discussing their own record. Recalling his first fight with Emiliano Peralta, he admitted that, in his opinion, the judges made the wrong decision.

“It should have been a failure on my record. I still say that to this day. The first one was his and it was a mistake I made,” Rozicki said. – I underestimated it when I went in.

Rozicki explained that he entered this fight already looking for a chance to win the world title and paid the price for it.

“I was looking straight at the WBC world title. I was thinking, ‘I’m going to knock this guy out in the first round.’ “That’s what I did. I looked beyond him,” Rozicki said.

Saturday’s fight gives Rozicki another chance to break into the cruiserweight ring. Billam-Smith may have the home advantage, but Rozicki sounds like a fighter who has already decided that a close fight isn’t enough.

Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.

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Last updated: 31/05/2026 at 19:01

Tim Tszyu has fired back at Terence Crawford, vowing to prove him wrong when he faces Errol Spence Jr. on July 25.

The pair will clash at 158 ​​pounds in Australia, where both former world champions are hoping to reignite their careers.

For Tszyu, it means a chance to secure his first significant win since 2023, when he won the WBO super welterweight title against Brian Mendoza.

The Australian then lost a split decision to Sebastian Fundora in 2024, and in the same year suffered a more severe third-round defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Tszyu’s importance at the world level was then further curtailed by a seventh-round loss to Fundora last July, and the 31-year-old is now hoping to return to the world stage at 154 pounds.

To do this, he must first defeat Spence, who has not fought since his capture Stopped in nine rounds by the masterful Crawford in July 2023

Previously, “The Truth” was considered an elite welterweight, but now, at the age of 36, it is unclear what exactly he has to offer.

However, despite the American’s return after a three-year break, Crawford still believes his former foe has what it takes to beat Tszyu.

In response, Tszyu narrated Jai McAllister that while he respects Crawford’s opinion, he ultimately intends to prove the former undisputed three-division champion wrong.

“Everyone has something to say – I respect that. Crawford knows boxing, but unfortunately when is this fight [with Spence] happens, it will not follow this path.

With home court advantage and more activity, Tszyu certainly has some reasons to be confident heading into his matchup with Spence.