In September, Christian Mbilli will look to retain his WBC super-middleweight world title by defeating Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo became the first undisputed champion in the history of the 168lb scene when he knocked out Caleb Plant in 2021, and became two-time undisputed by outpointing William Scull last year, winning back the IBF that he vacated shortly before.
The Mexican superstar then met his match when an undefeated Crawford made an ambitious jump up to the division and decisioned Canelo at his own weight – that being one of boxing’s most iconic wins in recent years.
Canelo has now landed an immediate shot at winning one of his belts back in his comeback bout. He challenges newly crowned WBC titleholder Mbilli in three month’s time.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Mbilli said that he believes Canelo has a lot of miles on the clock and that his performances have been declining of late.
“Of course [he has declined], he started [boxing] very young, I think he was 15 years old, so he has had a lot of fights now. I think that his performance [levels are] going down, but he is still very dangerous. I think that it is perfect timing for me.”
Continuing, Mbilli then vowed that he will make a statement when he collides with the four-division world champion, labelling himself a ‘very dangerous’ proposition for the 35-year-old.
“I think that I am a very dangerous fighter for him, but I have to be careful too because it is Canelo. It is not a small boxer, but I think that I will make a very [big] statement with this fight and I am very dangerous for him.”
Mbilli-Canelo takes place on September 12 in Riyadh, with unifications likely to follow for the victor, as Hamzah Sheeraz lines up a shot at making a statement of his own.
