Canelo beats Mbilli by decision to regain WBC title in Riyadh; Munguia, Espinoza retain

Canelo Alvarez needed a year away, elbow surgery and 12 steady rounds to become a world champion again. He took the WBC super middleweight belt from Christian Mbilli at Kingdom Arena, and it was the first defeat of the Frenchman's professional career.

The opening half belonged to Mbilli's volume. He pushed Alvarez toward the ropes and, according to Bloody Elbow, kept him on the back foot through the first four rounds. Canelo answered with counters and body work, then turned the fight in the seventh with an uppercut that was the hardest punch of the night to that point. In the eighth, Canelo complained about shots behind the head, and the referee took a point from Mbilli. The final rounds were slower, though Mbilli opened up in the last and Canelo beckoned him on before finishing strongly.

The win closes a loop. Canelo lost his undisputed status to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Crawford then retired, which left the belts vacant and let Mbilli move from interim to full champion. Canelo, 36, was the challenger for the first time since 2022 and still took the final ring walk. Crawford congratulated him on social media, and a Crawford rematch remains unlikely.

Canelo named no opponent, saying he would take a two-week vacation and return to the gym. Bad Left Hook names Hamzah Sheeraz as the promotional favorite for the next fight, with WBC interim champion Lester Martinez also in attendance. Boxing News notes that Canelo has one more contracted fight with Riyadh Season.

On the undercard, Jaime Munguia took a unanimous decision over Nikita Zon, who hurt him with an uppercut in round six. Rafael Espinoza kept his WBO featherweight title when the ringside doctor stopped the fight on a cut. The show went ahead despite calls to cancel it amid tensions in the Middle East.

The next moves to watch are Canelo's choice of opponent and Munguia's mandatory defense against Bektemir Melikuziev.