David Benavidez has offered his prediction for Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli, suggesting the type of shot that could put an end to their encounter.
The two super-middleweights will collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this Saturday, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.
He was elevated from ‘interim’ to full champion last December, not long after boxing to an enthralling 10-round draw with Lester Martinez.
This was because Terence Crawford, who dethroned Canelo that same September night, decided to announce his retirement and relinquish his four world titles a few months later.
As a result, Alvarez is now looking to reclaim a quarter of his undisputed crown at 168lbs, having not fought since suffering that unanimous decision defeat to ‘Bud’.
Even before that, many suspected the Mexican was approaching the end of his career, given the lack of foot speed he showed against William Scull in May 2025.
From a skill perspective, though, unified cruiserweight champion Benavidez has told FightHype that Mbilli’s high-volume style is unlikely to triumph over his 36-year-old opponent.
“He’s not at the level of Canelo. I think it’s going to be a hard fight, because Mbilli’s going to come and put everything on the line.
“But if his gameplan is to just throw, throw, throw … you have to have a better gameplan than that. I’ve seen how he fights. Lester Martinez gave him a hell of a fight, so I think it’ll be a great fight [with Canelo].
“I think [Canelo] stops him with a body shot.”
Despite there being a measure of bitterness that Canelo never gave him a shot at his super-middleweight titles, Benavidez still respects the former four-division world champion as a modern great.
