Canelo Regains WBC Title With Unanimous Decision Over Mbilli

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is once again WBC super-middleweight champion after a unanimous-decision victory over Christian Mbilli in Riyadh. The judges scored the fight 115–112, 116–111 and 117–110 for the Mexican four-weight world champion.

Alvarez, 36, was returning to the ring more than a year after losing his belts to Terence Crawford. Competing in his 69th professional bout, he earned his 64th win by relying on sharp defense, timing and counterpunching. Mbilli, a 31-year-old Cameroon-born fighter who trains in Canada, lost for the first time in 31 fights. He had been elevated to WBC champion in January and was making his first defense.

Mbilli tried to impose pressure early, pushing Alvarez toward the ropes and throwing more punches. Alvarez absorbed the work and invited more attacks, then began landing the cleaner and harder shots. A pair of right uppercuts in the sixth round highlighted his advantage. Mbilli was later penalized a point for punching to the back of the head. He remained aggressive into the later rounds and landed a few solid right hands, but Alvarez’s defense and counterpunching kept him in control.

The fight took place amid security concerns linked to the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement. Two days before the bout, the Saudi Press Agency reported that Civil Defence had intercepted two ballistic missiles over Riyadh. Earlier in October, a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Several other sporting events in Saudi Arabia were cancelled, including The Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition, the final round of the 2026 World Rally Championship and the 2026 Urban Cycling World Championships, but the boxing card proceeded.

Alvarez had been competing without a world title for the first time since 2015, and his performance answered questions about whether his skills had slipped after the Crawford defeat and a long layoff. He did not call out a specific opponent afterward, saying he planned to rest, continue learning and return to training soon.

“It’s so difficult to explain,” Alvarez said. “It’s something unbelievable, this feeling. Like my first title… Sixteen years ago, I won my first title. Now, I won the title again. I’m so proud.”