Canelo and Mbilli Thrill Egypt
With A Fantastic Fight Proclamation!
(May 25th) The Pyramids of Egypt once again pointed the way for world boxing, with the papyrus pinned to a monumental marbled tablet.
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Christian Mbilli took part in a spectacular press conference on Egyptian soil to officially present one of the most anticipated fights of the year.
On Saturday, September 12 in Saudi Arabia, Mbilli will put his WBC Super Middleweight World Championship on the line against one of the greatest figures of modern boxing history: Saul Canelo Álvarez.
Christian Mbilli enters the fight at the peak of his career. In June 2025, he captured the interim WBC super-middleweight title with an impactful first-round knockout over Maciej Sulecki. Months later, he defended the title against Lester Martínez in an explosive and dramatic hard-fought battle that was recognized by the WBC as Fight of the Year. What a thrilling contest!
After the historic and iconic Green and Gold. Belt at 168 pounds became vacant, Mbilli was elevated to full WBC champion. Now he faces the most exacting and demanding challenge of his career: making the first defense of his title against the formidable Canelo.
The Superstar needs no introduction. Canelo arrives determined to reclaim the championships he lost last year and reaffirm his place among the defining figures of this era. Experience, massive stages, and historic nights are all part of his legacy, but standing across from him will be an undefeated, aggressive opponent hungry to change the course of the division.
During the press conference, both men showed decency, decorum and respect, but also tremendous brimming confidence. Mbilli stated that he is ready to shock the world and prove he belongs among boxing’s elite, while Canelo made it clear that he continues to seek major challenges and fights that further build his legacy.
Experience versus youth. Status versus yearning. History versus ambition.
And now, the boxing world turns its attention to Saudi Arabia for a night that has all the incense ingredients to become another pungent unforgettable classic chapter in the sport.
After years of waiting and anticipation, the biggest fight in the history of Quebec
boxing is now official. The new WBC super-middleweight world champion, Christian Mbilli, will
defend his title on the grandest stage on September 12, when he takes on Mexican legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at
ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Canelo Alvarez is the greatest test of my life—a life of effort, perseverance, and hard work that has prepared me
for this moment. On September 12, I promise to etch my name into the history of the sport by delivering a war like you’ve never seen,” said the reigning WBC super-middleweight world
champion, Christian “Solide”
Mbilli.
On the road to #CaneloMbilli, Montreal’s Christian
Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will have faced no fewer than five
top-10 contenders from one of the major sanctioning bodies. He won a war against Ecuadorian puncher Carlos Góngora, stopped Australian brawler Rohan Murdock, clearly outclassed Ukrainian technician
Sergiy Derevyanchenko, and destroyed Polish veteran Maciej Sulecki in the first round.
After becoming interim champion against Sulecki, he successfully defended his title against the dangerous Guatemalan Lester Martinez in a bout broadcast on Netflix in front of nearly 40 million
viewers on the undercard of #CaneloCrawford. In addition to being named Fight of the Night, the Mbilli vs. Martinez clash was later awarded Fight of the Year by the WBC. In the months that followed,
with the retirement of Terence Crawford and Hamzah Sheeraz declining to face Mbilli for the vacant title, the WBC elevated its interim champion—Mbilli—to full world champion status. The new champion,
trained by Marc Ramsay, now has a date with the Mexican fighter, currently ranked the WBC’s No. 1 contender—a position long held by Mbilli himself.
“We’ve been trying for years to make the fight between Christian Mbilli and ‘Canelo’ happen, and now you finally understand why September 12. The event is called ‘Mexico vs. The World’ and will take
place in Saudi Arabia, but that night, we’ll be fighting for all of Quebec,” said EOTTM president Camille Estephan.
For a rare time in his career—and for the first time since 2022—Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will enter the ring as the challenger against Mbilli. Over a professional career spanning more than 20 years, the 35-year-old Mexican has captured 14
world titles and competed in 24 world championship bouts across four weight divisions. At super middleweight, he became the first undisputed champion in the division’s history in 2021, reigning at
the top of the 168-pound class until September 2025, when he was defeated by Terence Crawford. Mbilli will be the 15th undefeated fighter Alvarez has faced in his career, having handed a first loss
to 11 of them so far.
The #CaneloMbilli event, presented by Riyadh Season, will also be broadcast globally on DAZN PPV on September 12th.
Current WBC super-middleweight world champion Christian Mbilli will also be available to
meet with the media upon his return to Quebec during an open workout organized at Bar Le Valet inside the Casino de Montréal on Monday, June 1 at 4:00 p.m.
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