Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli officially launched their September 12 showdown in Riyadh on Friday, and the former undisputed champion wasted no time dismissing the unbeaten French fighter’s chances ahead of the highly anticipated super middleweight clash.
During the press conference in Cairo, Canelo made it clear he does not believe Mbilli can compete with him, regardless of age or timing. “He’s a good fighter but in my mind it’s 0% chance,” Canelo said. “He says it’s the perfect time because I’m old. I say to him, if I was 50 years old you still cannot beat me.”
Mbilli, however, embraced the challenge and promised fans they would see a different outcome in September. The WBC super middleweight champion insisted he brings far more to the ring than some of Canelo’s previous opponents, as he previously questioned whether Canelo can still handle elite pressure.
Mbilli confident ahead of biggest fight
Mbilli showed plenty of confidence during the faceoff and made it clear he is not entering the fight simply looking for respect. “You’re going to be surprised in September,” Mbilli said.
Christian M’billi looks on from his corner in his super middleweight WBC interim title fight. Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
He also added, “I’m not Berlanga. I’m not Munguia.” The unbeaten champion also called the matchup the perfect opportunity to prove himself on boxing’s biggest stage.
Canelo returning after Terence Crawford loss
The September fight will mark Canelo’s first bout since losing his undisputed super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford last year. After Crawford retired, the division titles became split, with Mbilli eventually claiming the WBC belt.
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Now, the Mexican superstar returns looking to reestablish himself at the top of the division while Mbilli attempts to secure the biggest win of his career.
