Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will attempt to roll back the years and dethrone WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli against a backdrop of security concerns in Riyadh.
Alvarez returns to the ring on Saturday for the first time in 13 months, having not fought since losing his undisputed 168lb crown to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Despite boasting a Hall of Fame resume and being one of the wealthiest athletes on the planet, the Mexican is determined to extend a career that will enter its 21st year this weekend.
Forbes estimated Alvarez’s earnings at $170 million in their list of the world’s highest-paid sporting figures in 2026, placing him second, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now 36, he turned professional at 15 and has racked up 63 victories against three defeats and two draws. It is the kind of record that belongs in a bygone era, and one that we might not see again given today’s elite fighters typically compete just two or three times a year.
Why is Canelo still fighting?
Alvarez has become increasingly quotable in the veteran stage of his career, with his improved command of English producing some comical and often sweary outbursts. But one of his most frequent lines is “no boxing, no life”, a mantra he wears on his fight-night apparel.
“Boxing makes me feel alive,” Alvarez told Ariel Helwani’s Uncrowned show. “I was born for this. I really enjoy it. It’s hard to adapt yourself again [to different opponents], and the training camps are very hard, but I love that, and I enjoy it a lot.
“I don’t need anything … I did everything in boxing already, and I’m good [financially]. But I still love boxing. When I fight, I always break records, and that’s the motivation for me. You need to do something in life. You need to keep your mind busy, motivated. Right now, my motivation is boxing.”
Alvarez is at a stage where he could potentially negotiate an exit and retire from the sport at any time. However, he is still only halfway through a lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh. Saturday’s bout will be his third under Alalshikh’s patronage, leaving one further fight on the agreement.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, Alvarez has spoken of having “three or four fights” left and still having goals to achieve.
One is a rematch with Crawford, while another is to fight at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City before hanging up his gloves.
“I want my last fight to be in Mexico,” he told ESPN. “When I was there as a fan supporting the national team [at the World Cup in June], I was at Estadio Azteca, and it’s a stadium that gives you an incredible vibe – a very good feeling. I pictured myself fighting there.”
A victory over Mbilli, particularly an impressive one, would set the stage for a major event in 2027. A damaging defeat, though, and plans for that farewell may accelerate.
War in and out of the ring
The decision to proceed with Saturday's card has drawn criticism in the US media following weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The strikes have killed 22 people and injured 380 across the kingdom, including in attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. On October 23, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia.
Alalshikh has remained bullish about the fight going ahead, despite other sporting events being cancelled or postponed. The football calendar has been heavily disrupted, while the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and Dakar Rally have also been impacted.
“Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens, he fears nothing,” Alalshikh posted on X after an attack on Riyadh’s airport on October 10 killed 13 people.
Air travel to and from the kingdom remains uncertain, but Alvarez arrived in Riyadh by private jet on October 26. He was greeted by former heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in footage that was widely shared on social media.
“I love to be here in Riyadh, and I’m excited to fight on Saturday and become a world champion once again,” said Alvarez in a video posted by Alalshikh.
However, many undercard fighters and members of the event crew have travelled on commercial flights to Bahrain before making the five-hour drive through the desert to the Saudi capital.
Broadcaster DAZN had planned to cover the event in full on the ground, but commentary and analysis are now expected to be provided remotely from London.
So far, Lindolfo Delgado is the only fighter to withdraw from the event, abandoning his light-welterweight bout against Arthur Biyarslanov.
“US citizens are being advised to leave,” Delgado’s trainer Robert Garcia told BoxingScene. “I got a call from an attorney and he said, ‘We get at least two warnings on our phone every day – alerts about missiles’.”
Styles make fights
Alvarez, though, has never wavered in his commitment to the event. In Mbilli, he faces a younger, fresher opponent, but one whose style he is confident will prove favourable.
The 31-year-old French-Cameroonian is unbeaten at 29-0-1 and will put his WBC super-middleweight title on the line in Riyadh.
His most recent outing was a fight-of-the-year contender against Lester Martinez on the undercard of Canelo’s defeat to Crawford in Las Vegas.
Mbilli is an aggressive, front-foot volume puncher. That approach should offer Alvarez opportunities but could also be overwhelming if his gradual decline has sped up during a long layoff that also included elbow surgery.
“He’s a champion and he’s a very aggressive fighter,” said Alvarez. “He goes forward, throws a lot of punches and that makes me excited because it’s good styles to make a good fight. Could be fight of the year.”
