Devin Haney Says Christian Mbilli Style Favors Canelo Alvarez Sept. 12

Haney believes Mbilli’s pressure and front-foot attack give Canelo the type of fight he prefers in Riyadh

Devin Haney believes Christian Mbilli’s aggressive approach could make life easier for Canelo Alvarez when they meet September 12 in Riyadh. Haney argued that Mbilli’s pressure style would leave him directly in front of Canelo’s counters and power shots.

“He is a guy who is going to come forward, and he is going to be right there for Canelo to let off and do his typical things,” said Haney on InsideRing Show.

“I think it will be easy. He is tailor-made for Canelo. He stands right there in front of you.”

Mbilli was elevated to WBC super middleweight champion earlier this year after Canelo vacated the title following his defeat against Crawford. The unbeaten contender has built his record on pressure, combination punching, and constant forward movement, but Haney believes that style could give Canelo opportunities to land his counters and power shots.

“Even if Canelo has slipped a bit, I don’t think that Mbilli would be the one to exploit that,” said Haney.

Mbilli’s pressure can overwhelm opponents at this level, but walking straight at Canelo without changing angles often leads fighters into counters and left hooks.

“I think that it is a tailor made fight for Canelo to go in there and look good and look like he is back and he’s reincarnated. I don’t think Mbilli will test him at all.”

Questions still remain about how Canelo will look physically after the Crawford loss and the injury issues that followed, especially against a younger fighter willing to throw punches in volume. Mbilli has also never fought an opponent at Canelo’s level, making the September bout one of the biggest tests of his career.

Questions still remain about how Canelo will look physically after the Crawford loss and the arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow. Mbilli’s pressure and high punch output could also test Canelo’s stamina late in the fight if the bout reaches the championship rounds in Riyadh.

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