Canelo Alvarez Beats Christian Mbilli On Points To Reclaim WBC Title

Saul Alvarez reclaimed the WBC super middleweight championship by making Christian Mbilli pay for coming forward and, eventually, making him reluctant to come forward at all. The Mexican won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, ending the champion’s unbeaten record with accurate counters, sound defence and an increasingly effective jab. Guido Cavalleri scored 116-111, Jorge Gorini 117-110 and Barry Lindenman 115-112. A point deducted from Mbilli in the eighth widened the margins, but did not decide the winner.

For Alvarez, 36, this was his first appearance since Terence Crawford took his undisputed championship in September 2025. Mbilli, 31, had also been absent since that programme, when he drew with Lester Martinez. The Cameroon-born Frenchman subsequently became the full WBC champion and was making his first defence. Both returned with something substantial to establish. Alvarez needed to show that defeat had not ended his usefulness at the highest level; Mbilli needed to demonstrate that his familiar pressure could trouble an opponent equipped to punish it. The official weights were 167.7 pounds for Alvarez and 167.8 for Mbilli.

The opening round favoured Alvarez’s economy. Mbilli advanced, flicked his jab and tried to increase the exchanges near the ropes, but too much of his work struck gloves and arms. Alvarez found the cleaner jab and looked for the right hand as the champion approached. Mbilli’s activity increased in the second, when he moved more freely and answered the Mexican’s counters with combinations. Alvarez struck to the body and brought his right around the guard. There was already a distinction between the man doing more work and the man making more of his work count.

Mbilli had a more productive spell through the third and fourth. He pressed Alvarez into corners, jabbed downstairs and followed with punches to the head. Alvarez slipped and blocked much of the attack, but his selective replies left opportunities for the champion to win rounds through sustained effort. In the third, the challenger lowered his gloves and beckoned Mbilli forward. Such invitations are more persuasive when the recipient has not noticed the counter waiting behind them. Mbilli continued pressing, however, and his body punching prevented Alvarez from conducting the entire contest on his own terms.

Both landed to the body in a competitive fifth. The important change came in the sixth, when Alvarez began finding the right uppercut and following it with a straight right. Being backed towards the ropes no longer meant surrendering the initiative. He could absorb or evade the first attack and strike through the openings Mbilli left while trying to continue it. The champion remained willing, but his bursts were becoming less effective. In the seventh, a particularly sharp right uppercut shook him and made the danger of closing distance unmistakable.

Alvarez increased his authority in the eighth, putting combinations together and moving clear before Mbilli could return them effectively. Referee Hector Afu had already dealt with complaints about illegal punches. He warned Mbilli for a low blow during the eighth, then deducted a point for a right behind Alvarez’s head. The Mexican’s emphatic protests accompanied the sequence, drawing criticism from DAZN commentators Todd Grisham and Tony Bellew. It was an untidy interruption, but Alvarez’s control had begun before Afu intervened. The champion needed a tactical change as well as better discipline.

The later rounds brought no sustained recovery. Mbilli still found body punches and occasional rights, but Alvarez’s jab increasingly set the distance, while his counters discouraged prolonged attacks. The challenger could work in the centre or retreat to the ropes without being forced into the pace Mbilli required. In the final round, Mbilli landed hard rights but failed to build on them. Alvarez tapped his chest and invited him back, then landed a right of his own that made the champion stumble shortly before the finish. Neither man was knocked down.

CompuBox’s official figures underline the difference in efficiency. Alvarez landed 158 of 504 punches, compared with Mbilli’s 127 of 724, with respective connection rates of 31.3 per cent and 17.5 per cent. His power punches connected 132 times from 315 attempts; Mbilli landed 99 from 373. The champion held the advantage in body connections, 38 against 16, but could not turn that work into command of the fight. Alvarez’s strongest statistical round was the seventh, when he landed 23 punches to Mbilli’s 7. The figures describe a busy champion whose effort increasingly met a defence he could neither penetrate consistently nor draw out of position.

“It feels like my first title,” Alvarez said afterwards, thanking Eddy and Chepo Reynoso. He leaves with 64 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws and 39 knockouts; Mbilli with 29 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw and 24 knockouts. Alvarez named no next opponent, preferring a brief rest before returning to work. On a programme billed as Mexico Versus The World, Jaime Munguia also retained his WBA championship against Nikita Zon, while Rafael Espinoza stopped Ricardo Blandon. Alvarez supplied the closing verdict: his counterpunching remains a formidable obstacle for anyone whose principal plan is to keep advancing.

Canelo won this clearly, but Mbilli helped him by becoming predictable. Early on, he pushed Canelo back and worked the body, which was sensible. The trouble was what happened once he got him there. Too many attacks finished on gloves and elbows, leaving Alvarez balanced and ready to answer. Getting a man onto the ropes means little if he’s comfortable punching off them.

What impressed me was Alvarez’s punch selection. The right uppercut made Mbilli hesitate, then the straight right punished him when he tried again. Canelo didn’t need to chase or waste movement. He let Mbilli enter range, defended the initial burst and found space for his reply. That’s why the pressure became less effective. Mbilli started thinking about what was coming back instead of committing to his own work.

For me, Mbilli needed to change the entry, draw the counter with a feint and step across before attacking again. Simply throwing harder from the same position wasn’t solving anything. He showed courage and landed some decent punches, but his late reluctance to follow a clean right told its own story. Alvarez had earned his respect and was controlling the exchanges. I wouldn’t take this as proof that Canelo has recovered everything Crawford exposed. I would take it as a reminder that you need more than strength and enthusiasm to beat him. Mbilli brought effort. Alvarez showed a higher ring IQ.