Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli have a done deal to fight in September in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Mbilli's WBC super middleweight championship, The Ring has learned. 

Alvarez, boxing's top star, will attempt to regain a world title in his first fight since his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas.

It was on that undercard that Mbilli fought Lester Martinez to a 10-round split draw in one of the year’s best action fights. Alvarez is The Ring's No. 1 super middleweight while Mbilli is third.

The event, Canelo's second in Riyadh, will feature Mexico vs. the World with an undercard of featured fights to be announced later.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) fought in Riyadh in May 2025 when he outpointed William Scull to once again become undisputed champion at 168 pounds.

Four months later, Alvarez met Crawford in a packed stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix, and while he was competitive, Crawford cruised down the stretch to seal the decision victory for The Ring championship at 168 pounds.

Now, Canelo is out to prove he's still near the top of his game aged 35. During his storied career, he's won titles in four weight classes and has been the sport's top attraction for nearly 10 years.

The Mexican icon's three career losses all came against fighters Canelo will one day join in the Hall of Fame: Floyd Mayweather, Dmitry Bivol and Crawford.

Mbilli, 31, will fight on the top level for the second consecutive bout. His matchup with Martinez was grueling, up against a fellow pressure fighter. Now, he'll face a fighter on an even higher level and one who can do it all, whether that's counter punching or fighting off the front foot.

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) is an attraction in Montreal, where he resides as a French-speaking Cameroon native. Alvarez will represent the first former champion on Mbilli's resume.