Alvarez reclaims WBC super middleweight belt in UD win over Mbilli

Canelo Alvarez is back at the pinnacle of the sweet science after pulling off a unanimous decision win over France’s Christian Mbilli to reclaim the World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight belt on Nov. 1, 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Despite entering the title bout after a 13-month layoff following his devastating loss to Terence Crawford, Alvarez came back as if he had never left, putting on a show with his usual counterpunching and masterful layered defense to bag the 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 win.

Alvarez made it look flawless, giving the previously unbeaten French star a Boxing 101 lesson from start to finish while preventing any comeback attempts from Mbilli in the later rounds.

Both fighters kicked off the bout by reading each other’s tendencies, as Alvarez hesitated early to throw heavy haymakers and stuck to his snappy jabs to pile up the points.

On the other hand, Mbilli temporarily controlled the distance by pressuring Alvarez, stalking him and moving forward in an attempt to pin the boxing icon against the ropes.

Although Mbilli found success in cornering him several times, the more experienced Alvarez easily countered by turning to his left while throwing two consecutive uppercuts.

The sequence continued until the fifth round, when Alvarez established a comfortable lead on the scorecards. To make things worse for Mbilli, his inability to adjust his game plan cost him the chance to earn more points from the official ringside judges.

All hell broke loose in the seventh round when Alvarez gave Mbilli a dose of his own medicine and began hounding him with pressure and precise left hooks.

Mbilli finally made a tactical shift in the 10th round when his corner ordered him to target Alvarez’s body, but it was already too late as the four-division world champion stepped on the gas, overwhelming him with vicious hooks and overhand punches to finish the fight with a bang.

In the 12th round, Mbilli revived his upset chances after landing a vicious right hand to Alvarez’s jaw. To everyone’s su