Mbilli welcomed the postponement of the undisputed super middleweight title fight, while his promoter said the extra time only strengthens their confidence
Christian Mbilli’s team believes the postponement of his fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez changes nothing except the timeline. After Riyadh Season moved the undisputed super middleweight title fight to late October, promoter Camille Estephan said Canelo will have “absolutely no excuse” when they finally meet.
“I’ve been waiting for this fight for years. One more month or one less won’t change anything. My time will come,” Mbilli said in a statement released by Eye of the Tiger Management.
Eye of the Tiger president Camille Estephan went even further, saying the delay changes nothing about what he expects to happen once the opening bell rings.
“Whether it’s in September or October, Christian Mbilli will leave the ring victorious. And now more than ever, Canelo will have absolutely no excuse for not being fully prepared,” Estephan said.
The postponement was first reported last week by Ring Magazine and DAZN, but Monday’s press release marked the first public reaction from Mbilli and his promotional team.
Mbilli’s comment that the delay doesn’t matter could prove true. The Fountain of Youth dried up for Canelo a long time ago, and an extra six weeks in the autumn of his career isn’t going to make him look like the guy who was tearing through the division 3,000 days ago.
The signs of decay are everywhere:
- The Loss to Crawford: Getting outpointed by a guy moving up two weight classes showed just how much Canelo’s reflexes and work rate have dropped. He couldn’t pull the trigger, and Crawford exploited it.
- The William Scull Slog: Laboring to a decision against the Cuban mandatory didn’t win him any style points, exposing a flat-footed style that relies entirely on landing one big, single shot.
- The Berlanga and Munguia Decisions: He used to put guys like that away. Instead, he went the distance in fights where he looked tired in the back half, letting younger, busier fighters stay in the contest way longer than they ever should have.
Why October Won’t Save Him From Mbilli’s Pressure
Mbilli doesn’t care about Canelo’s legacy or how many tickets he sells. He fights with a relentless, suffocating pace that requires his opponent to have functional legs and a high counter-punching output to keep him off.
At this stage, Canelo doesn’t have the footwork to escape pressure, and he doesn’t throw enough combinations to make a powerhouse like Mbilli think twice about marching forward. The extra time might help Canelo’s body recover from the wear and tear of camp, but it won’t reverse the biological clock.
When the bell rings in late October, Canelo is still going to be the same aging veteran who fights in spurts, lacks mobility, and struggles with high-volume attackers. If Mbilli can weather the early power shots, Canelo’s lack of youth is going to be glaringly obvious by the middle rounds.