Canelo Alvarez makes his return to the ring for the first time in over a year this evening, challenging WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Mexican fighter has not competed since being outclassed by Terence Crawford in their historic bout last September.
Mbilli's rise to full champion
Mbilli, 31, won the interim title after knocking out Maciej Sulecki last year, before drawing with Lester Martinez last September. Earlier this year, he was promoted to full champion after Crawford retired from the sport. His first defence comes against one of the all-time greats.
There had been doubts over whether the fight would take place, as the Saudi city of Riyadh has been at the heart of shocking attacks in recent weeks. Tonight's showcase will go ahead as planned.
Start times and how to watch
The main card is expected to get underway at around 4pm UK time (12pm ET / 11am CT / 9am CT). In the main event, Mbilli will make the walk to the ring first at around 8:30pm UK time (4:30pm ET / 3:30pm CT / 1:30pm PT), with Alvarez set to follow immediately after. The fight should not start later than this but could be brought forward if the undercard fights are completed earlier than expected.
Tonight's Saudi showcase will be streamed live and exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view at a cost of £24.99. For those watching in America, fans can purchase the event for $79.99. Alternatively, audiences can tune in via the DAZN Ultimate Tier, which is priced at £24.99 per month.
Full fight card and undercard
- Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli
- Jaime Munguia vs Nikita Zon
- Rafael Espinoza vs Ricardo Blandon
- Lindolfo Delgado vs Arthur Biyarslanov
- David Picasso vs Carl Jammes Martin
- Reito Tsutsumi vs Raymundo Rojas Garcia
- Bek Nurmaganbet vs Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez
- Brayan Leon vs Hector Aguirre
- Emiliano Rojo vs Flavius Biea
- Sultan Almohammed vs Erick Jahir Urvina Villegas
Quotes corner
Christian Mbilli: "I’m ready to shock the world. I have a lot of respect for Canelo and his career, and I congratulate him on everything he has achieved. But inside the ring, it will be a different story, and I’m coming to win."
Canelo Alvarez: "I don’t believe in shortcuts. I want to become a world champion again, and that’s why I want to face the best. Mbilli is the world champion."
