Mexico\u2019s Sa\u00fal \u201cCanelo\u201d \u00c1lvarez reclaimed the WBC super-middleweight title with a unanimous-decision victory over the previously unbeaten Christian Mbilli in Riyadh on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
The fight went ahead at Kingdom Arena despite a week of heightened security concerns in the Saudi capital, where the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted missiles and drones launched by Iran-aligned Houthi forces. Several events in the kingdom were cancelled or postponed, including the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition.<\/p>\n
\u00c1lvarez, 36, fighting for the first time in more than a year, relied on his trademark counter-punching and precise body shots to overcome the aggressive French champion and re-establish himself among boxing\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n
The judges scored the contest 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 in favor of the Mexican. (The Guardian had it 117-110<\/a>.)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something unbelievable. It feels like my first title. Now, after 21 years as a professional, 16 years ago I won my first title. Now I won that title again. I\u2019m so proud of my team,\u201d \u200cCanelo said in English.<\/p>\n \u201cI love boxing. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here, because I still love boxing and I enjoy it a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Mbilli, who entered the fight with a record of 29 wins and one draw, sought to unsettle \u00c1lvarez with relentless pressure and a higher volume of punches. But the challenger landed the cleaner blows, including a sharp uppercut that staggered Mbilli in the seventh round.<\/p>\n \u00c1lvarez evades a right hand from Mbilli during Saturday\u2019s fight. Photograph: Fayez Nureldine\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The victory marked a significant comeback for \u00c1lvarez, who suffered only the third defeat of his professional career when Terence Crawford outpointed him by unanimous decision<\/a> in September 2025.<\/p>\n That loss cost \u00c1lvarez his undisputed super-middleweight crown<\/a>, ending his reign as holder of the division\u2019s four major titles.<\/p>\n The contest took place three weeks after a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport<\/a> in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300. A second projectile struck a passenger terminal the following day, according to the Saudi-led military coalition, while several international airlines suspended flights to the kingdom amid the mounting threat to civilian aviation.<\/p>\n