The fight was originally set to take place Sept. 12, the headliner of an event featuring fighters from Mexico against boxers from other parts of the world. Now, the show will be part of the 2026-27 Riyadh Season schedule.

Alvarez, boxing’s top star, will fight for the first time since his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, when he lost the undisputed and Ring Magazine championship at 168 pounds.

The 13-month layoff for Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will represent his longest inactivity since December 2020. That’s when he defeated Callum Smith to win his first super middleweight title.

The postponement paves the way for Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn to fight Sept. 12 in Las Vegas, the date and location the American has promised for the fight all along on the coveted Mexican Independence Day Weekend that has long belonged to Alvarez.

Alvarez’s title challenge of Mbilli will be his second in Riyadh. He defeated William Scull via decision in May 2025.

Alvarez and Mbilli faced off for the first time last month in Cairo ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven heavyweight title fight at The Pyramids.

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will be fighting on the elite level for the first time. And the Frenchman will also end a 13-month layoff. He fought Lester Martinez to a thrilling draw on the Canelo-Crawford undercard.

Alvarez is The Ring's No. 1 super middleweight while Mbilli is No. 3.