Alvarez Defeats Mbilli to Regain WBC Super Middleweight Title

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision in Riyadh to regain the WBC super middleweight title, with the judges awarding him scores of 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, according to two accounts of the official cards. The result restored Alvarez to the top of the division’s WBC rankings after he lost the title to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Mbilli, who had been elevated to full champion after Crawford vacated the belt, suffered the first defeat of his professional career. Mbilli pressed forward through the early rounds, working to the body and throwing in volume. Alvarez relied on movement and counters, then began to take greater control from the middle rounds, using his jab and timing to limit Mbilli’s attacks. A right uppercut late in the seventh round was among Alvarez’s cleanest punches, according to the fight account. In the eighth, referee Hector Afu deducted a point from Mbilli for a blow to the back of Alvarez’s head. The penalty came as Alvarez was landing combinations and was reflected in the scoring. The accounts agree on the winner and the deduction, but differ on one judge’s total: two report a 117-110 card, while another gives that...