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Canelo's love affair with ring burns bright as he reclaims world title

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez secured a unanimous decision victory in Riyadh against Christian Mbilli, leaning on accurate counter-punching and damaging body work. Mbilli threw punches with relentless volume, but Alvarez connected with the decisive blows, visibly staggering his opponent with a crisp seventh-round uppercut. The event proceeded as scheduled despite earlier security alerts involving intercepted Houthi drones and missiles in the host city. With the victory, Alvarez successfully regained the championship status he had lost in September 2025.

Key points

  • Saul Alvarez successfully returned from a year-long absence to push his professional reco…: Saul Alvarez successfully returned from a year-long absence to push his professional record to 64 career victories.
  • Precise counter-striking and an impactful seventh-round uppercut neutralised the relentle…: Precise counter-striking and an impactful seventh-round uppercut neutralised the relentless output and volume coming from Christian Mbilli.
  • Reclaiming the world title re-established Saul Alvarez at the top after losing his undisp…: Reclaiming the world title re-established Saul Alvarez at the top after losing his undisputed championship to Terence Crawford.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

RIYADH, Oct 31 : Twenty-one years, hundreds of millions of dollars and a place among boxing's all-time greats have done nothing to dim Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's hunger.

For all the riches and glory, the Mexican still finds his greatest joy within the unforgiving confines of a 25-square-metre ring, where he reclaimed the world title on Saturday with a unanimous points win over Christian Mbilli.

The bout went ahead in Riyadh after a week in which the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted Iran-aligned Houthi missiles and drones aimed at the capital. Security concerns led to the cancellation or postponement of several Saudi events, including the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition.

The 36-year-old Alvarez, returning to the ring for the first time in more than a year, relied on his trademark counter-punching and precise body shots to overcome the French champion and re-establish himself among boxing's elite.

The judges scored the fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110.

"It’s something unbelievable. It feels like my first title. Now, after 21 years as a professional, 16 years ago I won my first title. Now I…

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