Canelo and Mbilli have their final say in Riyadh as fight week moves ahead

RIYADH — Canelo Alvarez turned professional on Oct. 29, 2005. Exactly 21 years later, he sat on stage at the final press conference for his WBC super middleweight title fight against Christian Mbilli and made it clear he still sees himself as a man chasing something. “I’m the challenger now,” Alvarez said. “But guess what? Always in my mind, I’m the champion since I was a little kid.”

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) and Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) meet Saturday at Kingdom Arena, with the main event on DAZN pay-per-view. The card is billed as Mexico vs. the World, but when Canelo Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer introduced Alvarez’s trainer, he said some people are calling it Eddie Reynoso vs. the World, since Reynoso has eight fighters on the bill.

Reynoso, who has been in Alvarez’s corner for more than 20 years, took the joke and turned it into a tribute. Speaking in Spanish, with a translator relaying his words, he noted that Alvarez was reaching his 21st year as a pro and said he could not be prouder. “Everyone says, ‘Yeah, it’s me against the world,’ but it’s really him who steps up into the ring,” Reynoso said through the translator. He called Alvarez the most successful Mexican boxer in the history of the sport, said Saturday will show who has been the best in the history of Mexico, and said they are going after the WBC title, the first one they won together.

The French-born, Montreal-based Mbilli, a 2016 Olympian, is the reigning, undefeated WBC champion, and Thursday was his last chance to speak to the room before the weigh-in on Friday. He kept it short. He thanked his team, said he respects Alvarez’s career, and then made his pitch. “I’m ready to shock the world,” Mbilli said. “On Saturday will be a different story, and I’m coming for the win.”

When the moderator asked how he plans to knock out a man who has never touched the canvas in more than 500 professional rounds, Mbilli gave nothing away. “We’re going to see,” he said. “That’s why you don’t want to miss the fight.” He added that his camp was the best of his career and that he does not need anything extra to win, only to be himself.

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