Canelo regains WBC title as precision blunts Mbilli's pressure

A championship regained

Canelo Alvarez is a world champion again. He defeated Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision after 12 rounds Saturday in Riyadh to reclaim the WBC super-middleweight title. ESPN and the Associated Press reported scorecards of 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, all for Alvarez.

The result was Alvarez's first fight since his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford. At 36, he returned against an unbeaten champion whose forward pressure demanded sustained defensive work. Alvarez improved to 64-3-2. Mbilli, who entered with 29 wins and a draw, took his first professional defeat.

Making pressure less productive

Mbilli's early activity gave him a real argument in the competitive opening rounds. The Ring's Keith Idec described him pushing the pace in the fourth while Alvarez slipped punches without landing much of his own. That distinction matters: avoiding damage can preserve a fighter, but winning rounds also requires an effective answer.

Alvarez supplied more of that answer in the middle rounds. ESPN's Brett Okamoto highlighted his right uppercuts and straight right in the sixth. Idec described another late uppercut in the seventh and an eighth-round combination followed by a quick exit from Mbilli's range. Those were ways to interrupt the attack and finish an exchange before the next one began.

Referee Hector Afu deducted a point from Mbilli in the eighth for a blow to the back of Alvarez's head, according to AP, ESPN and The Ring. On the totals reported by AP and ESPN, restoring that point would still leave Alvarez ahead by two, four and six points.

Mbilli continued to land right hands in the final round. Alvarez answered with a late right that made him stumble, Idec reported. The fight reached the final bell. The durable part of Alvarez's performance was his ability to keep responding without allowing Mbilli's advances to set the terms of every exchange.

What changes at 168 pounds

The WBC belt now returns to Alvarez after Mbilli's elevation from interim to full champion in January. The division also saw Jaime Munguia retain his WBA super-middleweight title on the same card, surviving trouble in the sixth round against Nikita Zon before winning a unanimous decision.

Alvarez named no next opponent in the postfight remarks reported by AP and ESPN. He spoke about taking a short break and returning to work. He leaves Riyadh with the WBC belt and a win over an opponent who had gone 30 professional fights without a defeat.