Canelo Alvarez seeks to return to the super-middleweight throne as he bids for Christian Mbilli’s WBC 168lb crown on Saturday, and one former world champion has revealed his plan to take on the victor.
Canelo is undeniably amongst the greats of the super-middleweight scene having been the division’s first undisputed world champion, but the four-weight conqueror is now seeking to prove that he is still the man to beat at his optimal weight, by claiming the WBC strap.
Mbilli was upgraded to full world champion following Terence Crawford’s decision to retire from the sport, but the French-Cameroonian is yet to defend the belt, having patiently waited for this lucrative clash with Canelo.
Should he be successful in defending the title, Mbilli has outlined his goals to capture the undisputed throne for himself, eyeing up a potential in-house matchup for all four titles against fellow Eye of the Tiger fighter, Osleys Iglesias.
On X, former unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly offered a possible unification opportunity to the winner of Canelo-Mbilli, should he claim the vacant WBO super-middleweight title in January.
In January, I will hold the championship title in the super middleweight division.
In May, I want to fight the winner of this fight and unify the title. pic.twitter.com/X0HnrnFQXs
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) October 29, 2026
“In January, I will hold the championship title in the super-middleweight division.
“In May, I want to fight the winner of this [Canelo-Mbilli] fight and unify the title.”
Kazakhstan’s Alimkhanuly will head to Denmark to take on Jacob Bank for the vacant belt on January 23 having not competed since back in April 2025.
A failed drugs test led to him no longer holding his unified world middleweight titles, but he has now made the move to 168lbs after becoming eligible to resume his career.
Janibek has long branded himself as the sport’s most avoided fighter, and his case was strengthened recently when Hamzah Sheeraz decided to vacate the WBO belt rather than face him as mandatory challenger. The Brit, however, said he made the decision due to corruption and the Kazakh’s failed test.
