RIYADH — The Rocky theme started to play, Ring magazine CEO Rick Reeno held the WBC belt between them, and for a few seconds Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli simply stared at each other. No shoving, no trash talk. When it ended, they signaled approval and respect to one another and turned to face the crowd. After a week of questions about safety, the final faceoff Friday gave a simple answer: Saturday’s fight in Riyadh is a go.
Alvarez weighed in at 167.6 pounds and Mbilli at 167.8, both under the 168-pound super middleweight limit. Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will challenge Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) for the WBC title Saturday at Kingdom Arena, with the card on DAZN pay-per-view.
The mood in Riyadh was not loud. It was formal and businesslike, closer to a corporate event than a fight week send-off. Bruce Buffer announced both main event fighters, and when Alvarez was introduced, a mariachi band came out. WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza then grabbed a microphone and sang “El Rey” by Vicente Fernandez, the one moment of the afternoon that sounded like Mexico.
Espinoza weighed 125.8 pounds and challenger Ricardo Blandon 126, the featherweight limit. In the co-main event, WBA super middleweight champion Jaime Munguia weighed 167.4 pounds and Nikita Zon 167.5. One title fight on the card will not happen. The vacant IBF junior welterweight bout between Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov is canceled after Robert Garcia pulled Delgado over safety concerns.
In a post weigh-in interview, Mbilli was asked whether fans should expect a fight of the year candidate. He did not hold back. He promised the “fight of the decade” and the “fight of the year,” and then added, “Don’t miss this.”
Riyadh Season
Alvarez and Mbilli pose with the WBC belt after making weight. They fight Saturday at Kingdom Arena.
Alvarez said the occasion means a lot to him after 21 years as a professional. “I won my first title 16 years ago,” he said, adding that it is very important to take Mbilli’s belt and get back into the world championship corner. Asked what he will show Mbilli that he has not seen on video, Alvarez pointed to experience. “He’s never faced anybody like me,” he said. “So tomorrow, I’m going to teach him exactly what it is to face somebody like me.”
The ring walk for the main event is expected around 1:30 p.m. PT, 4:30 p.m. ET.