Alvarez finds himself in unfamiliar territory as a contender.

After losing his undisputed super middleweight title to Terence Crawford in September, the Mexican superstar stands without a major crown for the first time since 2015.

Alvarez is adamant he’ll have one once again when he challenges the WBC super middleweight beltholder Mbilli in his first fight since losing to Crawford and after undergoing left elbow surgery in October.

“I'm excited to be a champion again. Mbilli is a hard fighter. It’s going to be a good fight. I think the styles make it a good fight,” Alvarez told a group of reporters Saturday in Las Vegas.

Alvarez was in Sin City to support former rival-turned-teammate Jaime Munguia, who beat Armando Resendiz by unanimous decision for the WBA super middleweight title.

“We are so happy. He did really well,” Alvarez said while wearing a Munguia-branded T-shirt. “He learned a lot. You saw his movements. He moved better. He did everything perfectly to win. I am glad he's a champion.”

Alvarez was ringside at T-Mobile Arena and footage captured him enthusiastically cheering for the fight that provided chief support to David Benavidez’s blowout stoppage against Gilberto Ramirez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.

But Alvarez left the arena before the main event, later admitting that he was only there to support Munguia, who is trained by his lifelong confidant and coach, Eddy Reynoso.

When Alvarez was shown on the big screen inside the arena, he was met with jeers from Benavidez’s supporters.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) used his platform headlining the Cinco de Mayo show to call out Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) one more time during his post-fight speech.

“I’ve seen Canelo in the building. Let me just ask the fans this: Do you guys want to see Canelo vs. David Benavidez?” he said as the fans roared in approval.

“Enough said. We can’t leave that fight on the table. I have respect for Canelo, who is a great champion, but I’m a great champion, too. Let’s do it …I’m still [the WBC] champion at 175. I’m a champion at 200. So, if they want to come get it at 175, let’s get it at 175.”

Reynoso told The Ring last month that the ship has sailed on a potential bout with Benavidez because Alvarez’s foreseeable future stands at super middleweight.

“That fight against Benavidez is done,” said Reynoso. “There was a time when that fight could have been made at 168, and it didn't happen, so it's done. Benavidez is now fighting at cruiserweight. There is a better chance for Benavidez to fight Oleksandr Usyk than there is to fight Canelo.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan