Canelo Alvarez looked very much like Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, despite more than a year away from the ring, elbow surgery and a disappointing loss to Terence Crawford his last time out.
Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) reclaimed the WBC super middleweight championship with a dominant performance over Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He systematically neutralized Mbilli’s entire offense, enroute to judges’ scorecards of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. The Mexican superstar characterized his own performance as “perfect,” and he was visibly moved after reclaiming one of the 168-pound belts he lost to Crawford in September 2025.
“It’s so difficult to explain,” said Alvarez, on his post-fight emotions. “It’s something unbelievable, this feeling. Like my first title. Thirty-one years as a professional. Sixteen years ago, I won my first title. Now, I won the title again. I’m so proud.”
Alvarez, 36, faced the most questions of his storied career on Saturday, and he responded with a composed, defensively brilliant fight against an undefeated champion whose goal was to attack early. Mbilli moved forward throughout the 12 rounds but appeared demoralized and out of ideas by the seventh round. According to CompuBox, Alvarez landed 132 power punches to Mbilli’s 99. He praised head coach Eddy Reynoso for the team’s clean game plan and execution.
“The structure is always correct from Eddy,” Alvarez said. “Do our job. Move, hit the jab, do what Canelo does best. I knew [Mbilli] was a strong fighter. If he didn’t throw a lot of punches, it’s because it’s difficult to throw punches with me.”
Mbilli (29-1-1, 24 KOs) looked to impose pressure on Alvarez but never succeeded in making him uncomfortable. In the third, Alvarez even taunted and waved him forward from the ropes, encouraging him to throw more combinations. Mbilli complied but might have only worn himself out in the process. He never appeared completely fatigued, but his energy seemed to fade in the middle rounds. To add insult to injury, referee Hectur Afu docked Mbilli a point in the eighth for illegal blows.
Alvarez’s only possible window for criticism is that he never appeared to pursue a finish, but such has been the case for several years as he’s fought into his early and mid-30s. In the final round, he responded to a solid Mbilli right hand by walking to the center of the ring, beating his chest and beckoning Mbilli forward. Mbilli landed another right hand later in the round, but even those moments felt more or less dictated by Alvarez.
Ultimately, there was more drama around Alvarez’s willingness to fly to Saudi Arabia for the bout during a time of conflict in the region, than there was in the 12-round title bout.
Alvarez’s return to dominance opens a variety of options as his next opponent, including hard-hitting super middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KOs), a rematch against light heavyweight champion Dimitrii Bivol (25-1, 12 KOs), a high-profile matchup against WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) and others. Alvarez has said he intends to fight several more times, before holding the final bout of his career in Mexico.
