Canelo Alvarez Says Family Issues Delayed Mbilli Fight

The undisputed super middleweight champion says family issues postponed training camp before the October 31 title defense in Riyadh.

Canelo Alvarez says family issues forced him to postpone his title defense against Christian Mbilli until October 31. The undisputed super middleweight champion says those issues have now been resolved and training camp is set to begin.

Alvarez explained that he delayed the fight because he was unwilling to begin training camp before taking care of personal matters away from boxing. The bout with Mbilli is now scheduled for October 31 in Riyadh.

“There were some problems in my family that I needed to take care of, but everything is good now,” Canelo said on the AH show.

“I’m always very disciplined and very organized with my training camps, and I wasn’t ready to be in training camp. That’s why I postponed the fight, I needed to take care of my family first.

“Everything’s good now. I’m ready to train, and we’ll be ready for October 31st. It’s going to be in Riyadh.”

Canelo had originally targeted a traditional September return before pushing the fight back several weeks. Rather than entering camp while dealing with issues at home, he chose to resolve those first before focusing on Mbilli.

The delay gives Alvarez additional preparation time for a challenger who has been waiting for his opportunity at the undisputed championship. Mbilli has remained unbeaten while working his way into position for the biggest fight of his career.

With the family situation behind him, Canelo says his attention has shifted fully to training for the Halloween fight, which will headline a Riyadh Season event.

Mbilli has already waited months for his title shot. Another delay, whether because of family matters or a physical issue, would leave the WBC mandatory in another holding pattern while Canelo decides when he’s ready to fight. At 36, Alvarez also has less margin for postponements than he did earlier in his career.

Alvarez hasn’t looked like the dominant champion he once was for several years. His unanimous decision over Jermell Charlo in 2023 was one sided, but Charlo had moved up two weight classes after replacing his brother, Jermall, who declined the opportunity. To find Canelo’s last convincing victory over an established super middleweight, you arguably have to go back to his November 2021 win over Caleb Plant.

Share on Facebook

Post on X