CANELO ALVAREZ will be gambling with his legacy against Christian Mbilli but not his money – as the world title fight goes ahead despite safety concerns in Saudi Arabia.
The Mexican great challenges for Mbilli’s WBC super-middleweight belt on DAZN PPV
But the bout has been surrounded with uncertainty and concern as Riyadh continues to be
A “hostile aerial threat” warning was issued to mobile phones in the city and the airport was forced to close a week after Houthi rebels – a group backed by Iran – launched a missile strike that killed 12 people.
is said to be pocketing $50million (£37m) for his 69th professional fight – but he would forfeit that if he pulled out due to safety fears.
Equally, Saudi organisers funding the show would still be liable to pay the boxing superstar a lucrative guarantee even without fighting if they were to pull the plug.
So with neither side blinking, Canelo will fight on behind the frightening backdrop of aerial attacks in the Saudi sky – as he coolly talked down any safety fears.
He said: “I see a beautiful Riyadh. I saw in the media a lot of things but I’m always confident about coming to Riyadh.
“Like I told Turki, I’m going to come and fight in Riyadh and be a world champion again, and I feel safe.
“I feel like I’m at home, and I don’t see anything bad. Whatever I can do in Riyadh, but right now, this week, I’m focused 100 per cent on the fight, but then we’ll see.”
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All eyes are focused on the ‘Battle of Britain’ between and , with the pair set to finally settle their decade-long rivalry in December.
But before that, returns against Christian Mbili on Halloween.
October
- Sat 31 – Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbili – DAZN
November
- Sat 7 – Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson 2 – DAZN
- Sat 7 – Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke – Sky Sports
- Sat 28 – Agit Kabayel vs Nelson Hysa – DAZN
December
- Fri 11 – Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua – Netflix
- Sat 12 – Dmitry Bivol vs Callum Smith – DAZN
- Sat 19 – Anthony Cacace vs Nick Ball – DAZN
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Moving the fight to the likes of Las Vegas was also ruled out as Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority are putting the money up as part of Riyadh Season.
That is not to be mistaken with Turki Alalshik’s Ring Magazine passion project – which he funds personally to
Only select broadcasting staff and security personnel travelled – flying to Bahrain before driving into Riyadh – with punditry and commentary to be done remotely from London.
The Six Kings Slam – an exhibition tennis tournament featuring Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz due to start last week –
But the UFC’s scheduled December 5 event is still set to go ahead while the WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view on November 7 also remains intact.
While Canelo’s world title fight goes ahead, another was KO’d when super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado
But, the Mexican also faced visa issues due to his passport facing expiry.
Canelo, 36, returns for the first time since defeat to American legend Terence Crawford, 39, in September 2025.
The 13 months since have allowed the father-of-four to recover from elbow surgery and rediscover his passion for the sport he has competed professionally in since the age of just 15.
He said: “I think my body needed that kind of rest, and now I feel like it has been 10 years without fighting, so I just can’t wait to step in the ring.”
Brit-basher Canelo has defeated EIGHT of our best boxers in his 21-year career – starting against Ricky Hatton’s brother Matthew in 2011.
And Hatton – who was beaten by a then-20-year-old Canelo – reckons the four-weight world champ puts his reputation on the line against unbeaten Mbilli.
Hatton told Sky Sports : “I know people say it doesn’t tarnish their legacy but for me, slightly, it does.
“Say he was to lose to Mbilli on the weekend for me it does tarnish that a little bit.
“We all look at that differently. I would like to see him retire now.”
Canelo – whose refusal to snub the Saudi payday is set to see his career earnings surpass £600m – could also not let the chance to become world champ again pass him by.
He said: “I don’t believe in shortcuts. That’s why I go straight to the champion. I already have that experience.
“I’ve been a champion many years and I hope to be a champion again. I want to face the best, and he’s a champion, that’s it.”
