By Boxing Insider Staff

Canelo Álvarez will return to the ring on September 12 in Riyad to face WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh announced from London on Saturday.

Until the fight, it will have been a year since Álvarez faced Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. According to data released by the organization, the event attracted over 41 million viewers on Netflix, making it one of the most watched boxing broadcasts in history.

Álvarez, the former undisputed super middleweight champion, returns to Saudi Arabia with the WBC title in his sights. The Mexican made nine successful saves during a reign at the top of the league that lasted almost five years before losing the undisputed crown to Crawford last September.

Mbilli’s path to the WBC title

Mbilli will enter the fight as the current WBC champion. The Montreal-based French-Cameroonian won the interim title with a win over Maciej Sulecki in June and was promoted to full champion in January. He remains undefeated and previously appeared on the Álvarez vs. card. Crawford during the Riyad season.

“My last fight was the fight of the year,” Mbilli said in a statement released by the promotion. “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.

Canelo in the match

Álvarez, who will turn 36 in July, addressed the decision in a statement.

“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico and continue to build my legacy,” Álvarez said. “Mbilli is undefeated and he is a great fighter and I respect that. But my focus is always on preparation, performance and giving the fans another great night of boxing. On September 12 in Riyad, we start a modern chapter with the same discipline, ambition and vision that has accompanied me throughout my career.”

Press conference for Cairo

The press conference is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 2:00 p.m. local time in Cairo. This will be the first confrontation between both players.

The card is a continuation of the season’s boxing program in Riyad, overseen by Alalshikh, whose list of events supported by Saudi Arabia over the last two years, it has changed the calendar of sporting events. Riyad season organizers recorded more than 17 million visitors for the 2025 edition, following the 2024 edition which exceeded 20 million.

Broadcast details, ticket information and undercard fights for the September 12 event have not yet been announced.

Oscar Duarte could have lost the easiest path to the world title without even entering the ring for it.

The IBF is trying to fill the vacant 140-pound championship belt after Richardson Hitchins retired and Duarte (31-2-1, 23 KO) was ready to fight fellow contender Lindolfo Delgado. The problem is that Duarte and Delgado are long-time stablemates under trainer Robert Garcia, and Garcia says this fight is unlikely to happen.

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Last updated: 18/05/2026 at 11:05

Tim Bradley assessed David Benavidez’s chances of beating Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds three of the four major heavyweight titles.

The Ukrainian returns to action at the Egyptian Pyramids of Giza next Saturday, voluntarily defending his WBC belt against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.

Besides this next exit, Usyk will likely be ordered to face “interim” WBC champion Agit Kabayelwho has a chance to win the full green and gold belt this year.

Alternatively, the 39-year-old could vacate his world title, perhaps with the intention of facing newly crowned unified champion Benavidez instead – a fight backed by powerful boxing broker Turki Alalshikh.

“The Mexican Monster” became a three-division world champion earlier this month, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez after the sixth round in his first appearance at 200 pounds.

However, despite his dominant performance, the reality is that Benavidez is not yet a full-fledged cruiserweight, and the 29-year-old admitted that he weighed just 202 pounds on fight night.

Because of this, he will likely drop back down to 175 pounds – where he still holds the WBC title – to face Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed crown.

As for Hall of Famer Bradley, this represents the most reasonable option for Benavidez, who effectively stated in his YouTube channel that the American has no chance of overthrowing Usyk.

“Usyk? Stop. It’s okay to have dreams – it’s okay, you can dream – [but] if you feel David Benavidez can beat Usyk, I’ll gladly take your money.

While Benavidez has always expressed interest in moving up to heavyweight, it appears his main target right now is unified airy heavyweight champion Bivol.

First, Bivol must defeat mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30, but he would certainly be eager to get a chance to become a two-time undisputed champion later this year.