It was announced last month that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s comeback fight against Christian Mbilli, originally scheduled for September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had been pushed back to October. The former undisputed super-middleweight world champion has now revealed why.
Canelo lost all four of his world titles last year to Terence Crawford, but the American’s subsequent retirement saw the belts scattered, allowing the Mexican to immediately book a world title shot on return against new WBC champion Christian Mbilli.
The fight had been confirmed for September 12, though it was announced in June that it would now take place in October. No reason or specific date was given.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Canelo has now revealed that there was no injury or issues with the promotion, rather family matters that saw him push it back. He also confirmed that the fight will now take place on October 31.
“Some problems in my family, so I needed to fix … I’m always very disciplined, organised with my training camps, and I wasn’t ready to be training, so that’s why I postponed the fight – because I needed to attend family [matters]. But, all good now, ready to train, and [it’s] gonna be October 31. Yeah, Halloween, that’s the new date.”
Mbilli – undefeated in 30 bouts with 24 knockouts on his ledger – held the WBC interim belt before being elevated to full champion upon Crawford’s retirement. He applies extreme pressure in the ring, making it a good match-up for fans and a style that may play into Alvarez’s counterpunching.
The card remains billed as Mexico against the World, with undercard bouts featuring some of the fighting nation’s biggest names expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
