Canelo Álvarez returned to the top of the super-middleweight division after defeating Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, October 31.
The Mexican reclaimed the WBC super-middleweight world championship with a strong performance against Mbilli, who entered the contest unbeaten and defending his world title for the first time.
Mbilli made an aggressive start, using his punch volume and forward pressure to trouble Álvarez during the opening rounds. However, the Mexican remained composed and gradually found ways to counter his opponent’s attacks.
From the sixth round onwards, Álvarez began taking greater control of the contest. His accurate counterpunches and right uppercuts made it increasingly difficult for Mbilli to maintain his attacking approach.
Canelo continued to dictate the exchanges as the fight progressed, forcing the champion to work harder for his opportunities.
Mbilli’s situation became more difficult in the eighth round when the referee deducted a point from him for an illegal punch to the back of Álvarez’s head.
Despite attempting to regain control, the Frenchman struggled to change the direction of the fight, allowing Canelo to finish strongly.
The judges eventually awarded Álvarez a unanimous decision victory, scoring the contest 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 in his favour.
The result marked Canelo’s return to championship success following his defeat to Terence Crawford in September 2025, which ended his undisputed super-middleweight reign.
Speaking after the fight, the 36-year-old expressed his happiness at becoming a world champion again.
“It’s so difficult to explain. It’s something unbelievable,” Canelo said.
“Now after 21 years as a professional, 16 years ago I won my first title, now I won the title again.”
“I knew he was a strong fighter. He didn’t throw a lot of punches because it’s difficult to throw punches with me… I did perfectly,” he added.
“I’m going to keep learning, I’m going to keep working hard. I’m going to take a couple of weeks off and then come back.
