Canelo Alvarez’s Next Bout Revealed After Terence Crawford Loss as P4P Star Aims to Regain World Title
Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez is preparing for his return to the ring in September, where he will face Christian Mbilli.
As reported by Mike Coppinger, the renowned Mexican fighter, who will have been away from competition for a year by the time he steps back into the ring, will be contesting the WBC super middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The event will feature a Mexico vs. the world theme for the undercard, with additional bouts to be revealed soon.
This engagement will be Alvarez’s first match after losing his undisputed super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford, who has since retired.
This will astonishingly be the 69th contest in the 35-year-old’s professional career.
Mbilli, at 31 years old, previously held the WBC’s interim super middleweight title across two bouts in 2025, the latter ending in a draw with Lester Martinez.
BOXING DRAMA
Netflix to ‘REPLACE’ Mayweather vs Pacquiao II with Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia
TOP PICKS
Best football betting sites in the UK: Top bookies in May 2026
Initially, the former Olympian was set to face Britain’s Hamza Sheeraz but was promoted to full champion last January when that match fell through.
Born in Cameroon, Mbilli remains unbeaten with a record of 29-0-1, including 26 knockouts.
Competing against Alvarez represents the most significant challenge of his career, and he too is making a return to the ring after a year-long break.
With Crawford’s retirement, the world titles have been redistributed among contenders at 168lbs.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
The Home of Boxing in 2026
A thrilling year of boxing lies ahead!
Major battles are on the horizon! Oleksandr Usyk is scheduled to fight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, while Fabio Wardley intends to defend his heavyweight title against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois.
Anthony Joshua is making his comeback in July against Kristian Prenga, with a possible clash against Tyson Fury later this year.
Canelo Alvarez aims to make a comeback after his defeat to Terence Crawford, while Dave Allen prepares to return to victory versus Filip Hrgovic.
Numerous British prospects, including Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz, and Adam Azim, are ready to shine in the sport.
Here’s a preview of the upcoming major fights:
May
- Sat 2 – Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Undisputed super-bantamweight title – DAZN
- Sat 2 – Zurdo Ramirez vs David Benavidez – WBA & WBO Cruiserweight titles – Prime Video
- Sat 9 – Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – WBO title – DAZN PPV
- Sat 16 – Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
- Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
June
- Sat 6 – Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC super lightweight title – DAZN
- Sat 13 – Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall – DAZN
- Sat 20 – Ryan Garner vs Michael Magnesi – DAZN
- Sat 27 – Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis – DAZN
July
- Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue.
Armando Reséndiz currently holds the WBA title, unbeaten Osleys Iglesias possesses the IBF belt, while Mbilli is the reigning WBC champion. The WBO super middleweight championship remains vacant.
David Benavidez has expressed criticism regarding the decision to match Mbilli against Alvarez instead of his close friend Diego Pacheco.
He remarked: “Nobody wants to see that. Do you think people want that?
“Who is Mbilli? I believe it would have been better for him to fight Diego Pacheco.
“Pacheco has a considerably larger profile than Mbilli. But I guess we’ll see.”
Benavidez has long sought a meeting with Alvarez and presently holds the WBC light heavyweight title with an unblemished record of 31-0. Pacheco, a promising talent in the super middleweight division, boasts a 25-0 record but has yet to earn the title needed to attract Alvarez’s interest.