Canelo wins back WBC super middleweight title from Mbilli
The Mexican star took a unanimous decision over 12 rounds in Riyadh and is WBC champion again. Mbilli lost a point in the eighth.
Canelo Alvarez won back the WBC super middleweight title on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, beating unbeaten champion Christian Mbilli by decision after 12 rounds at The Venue.
All three judges had it for the Mexican: 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110. Mbilli had a point taken away in the eighth for an illegal punch.
Mbilli came out aggressive in the early rounds, and Alvarez answered with patient defense. From the sixth he raised the pace with hooks to the body and shots to the face. In the seventh, a right hand left the Frenchman close to going down. There was no knockout, but Alvarez finished the stronger of the two.
He came in as the challenger at 63-3-2, after losing the title to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Mbilli was making his first defense, with 29 wins and a draw. The fight was first set for September and was pushed to Oct. 31.
Alvarez now stands at 64-3-2 with 39 knockouts. Mbilli drops to 29-1-1 with 24 knockouts, the first loss of his professional career.
