Esteemed trainer Robert Garcia is intrigued to see how Canelo Alvarez performs against Christian Mbilli, especially after the “beating” he was dealt by Terence Crawford.
While perhaps not quite taking a ‘beating’, Canelo was nonetheless comprehensively outpointed by ‘Bud’, who retired a few months after their super-middleweight encounter last September.
With Crawford having become a three-division undisputed king, his exit from the sport left behind a selection of four world titles, including the WBC strap.
As a result, Mbilli was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion which, in turn, saw him land the opportunity to face Canelo in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 12.
Like Alvarez, the Frenchman will have not fought for nearly a year; not since his competitive 10-round draw with unbeaten contender Lester Martinez.
Unlike his next opponent, though, Mbilli appears to be in his athletic prime, capable of fighting at a high pace while perhaps lacking a degree of defensive finesse.
The 31-year-old could therefore pose problems for Canelo, who Garcia expects to complete his assignment with no shortage of difficulty.
Speaking with YSM Sports Media, the top trainer highlighted Mbilli’s durability as a key factor, interested to see how Alvarez responds to such resistance.
“Mbilli’s tough, man. He had a really good fight with Lester [Martinez], and Lester’s also a great fighter, so it’ll be interesting to see how Canelo comes back after that beating he took [against Crawford].
“It’s a close fight; I’d still favour Canelo [over Mbilli], but it’s not going to be easy.”
At 35 years old, many suspect that Canelo is on the verge of retirement, yet a win over Mbilli would surely keep him in the mix for big fights at 168lbs, or perhaps even 175lbs.
