Canelo Alvarez has assessed Christian Mbilli’s overall skillset, beyond his remarkable ability to throw and absorb copious amounts of punches, ahead of their super-middleweight showdown.
The pair will collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 31, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.
Initially, it was planned that they would meet this weekend, only for Canelo to delay their encounter on account of “family reasons”.
As a result, both fighters will have incurred over a year of inactivity when they finally lock horns, with Alvarez also coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Terence Crawford.
The Mexican hardly disgraced himself in their Las Vegas contest but, even so, he was handily beaten and dethroned by a naturally smaller man.
Canelo will therefore have a point to prove as he attempts to reclaim a quarter of his undisputed crown, with Mbilli having been elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement.
The Frenchman had defended his interim title on the same night that Alvarez lost to ‘Bud’, boxing to a thrilling 10-round draw against Lester Martinez.
While speaking with DAZN, though, Canelo insisted that neither man impressed him with their performance.
“No [I was not impressed with Mbilli or Martinez]. They take and throw punches like crazy – and they are strong, of course – but that’s not boxing.”
While believing that Mbilli is not the most cultured of boxers, Canelo can at least respect the 31-year-old’s physical attributes which, at this stage in his career, could cause the 36-year-old serious problems.
