But Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), a former four-division champion and pound-for-pound king, found himself in unfamiliar territory as an uncrowned contender ahead of his attempt to become a three-time super middleweight champion when he challenges WBC champ Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs).

Their 168-pound title fight will headline a “Mexico Versus The World” show at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DAZN will offer the event to subscribers of its Ultimate plan and on pay-per-view. Ring walks for Alvarez and Mbilli are estimated to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET in the United States and 8:30 p.m. GMT in the United Kingdom.

“I’m ready for Saturday as the challenger,” Alvarez said during the final press conference. “But always in my mind, I have been the champion ever since I was a little kid. It’s going to be a special night.

“I appreciate being here and being a champion again. I’m very excited. I’m happy about my entire career. It feels like yesterday [that I made my pro debut]. I want to thank everyone for always believing in me.”

When they kicked off their promotional tour with a press conference in Egypt five months ago, Alvarez, 36, said Mbilli, 31, had zero chance of beating him and the odds wouldn’t be better even if he was 50.

The volume-punching Mbilli countered that he was shocked that Alvarez embraced the dangerous dance and raised questions about his inability to keep up with his pressure.

“I don’t believe in shortcuts,” Alvarez said barely 48 hours before their fight. “I already have the experience. I have been a champion for many years and I want to be the champion again by facing the very best. He’s a champion, and that’s it.”

Alvarez enters the encounter against Mbilli with a 6-2 record since 2022, yet without any wins by knockout. The Mexican superstar’s previous pair of reigns at super middleweight culminated with becoming undisputed champion.

But Alvarez looked like he lost a step or two the last time he fought. He lost a unanimous decision against the undersized yet uber-talented Terence Crawford in that September 2025 bout.

On the undercard of Alvarez-Crawford, Mbilli fought to a spirited split draw against Lester Martinez. He was the WBC 168-pound interim champion at the time and was elevated to full champion once Crawford was stripped of the belt shortly before his retirement.

While Alvarez is promising a turn-back-the-clock performance and another statement win to add to his already impressive resume, Mbilli alluded to knocking out a living legend who hasn’t even been dropped in 532 rounds.

“There will be lots of big surprises,” he said. “I can’t wait to be in the ring. My training camp was perfect. I am ready for this fight, and to shock the world. I have big respect for Canelo his entire career. I want to congratulate him, but on Saturday, it will be a different story because I am coming for the win. I was born ready for this fight, and I just need to be myself.”

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