Mexican boxing icon Canelo Álvarez officially reclaimed the WBC super middleweight world championship with a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tthe commanding 12-round triumph capped a resilient return following a 13-month ring absence, elbow surgery, and his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford.

Serving as the main event of the “Mexico vs. The World” showcase, Álvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) dismantled Mbilli’s high-pressure offense behind judges’ scorecards of 117-110, 116-111, and 115-112. Executing a sharp strategic game plan designed by trainer Eddy Reynoso, the 36-year-old landed 132 power punches to Mbilli’s 99, per CompuBox. Álvarez controlled the tempo throughout, taunting Mbilli from the ropes in round three before referee Hector Afu docked Mbilli a point in the eighth round for landing illegal blows.

The victory re-establishes Álvarez as a world champion for the first time since losing his undisputed belts, setting up prospective clashes against Hamzah Sheeraz, Dmitry Bivol, or David Benavidez. Elsewhere on the fight card, Jaime Munguia successfully defended his WBA super middleweight title against Nikita Zon, and Rafael Espinoza retained his WBO featherweight title over Ricardo Blandon, though Team World claimed the overall card 5-4.

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