Christian Mbilli defends his WBC 168-pound crown against Canelo Alvarez, headlining a "Mexico vs. The World" event that DAZN will offer to subscribers of its Ultimate plan and on pay-per-view.

Ring walks are estimated to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. GMT.

Benavidez gave his view on the fight, featuring an arch-rival he never faced and a newly-minted titleholder who owns the same green belt he carried across two reigns.

"I think it's gonna be a hard fight, because Mbilli is gonna come and put everything on the line," Benavidez told The Ring and other media.

"But if Mbilli's game plan is just to throw, you have to have a better game plan than that. I've seen how he fights before. What happened to him and Lester Martinez [during their split draw] – Martinez gave him a hell of a fight. You know what I mean?

"From what I've seen in the past, strictly from patterns I've studied, I know Canelo's gonna hurt Mbilli – if he's prepared. If he's not prepared, then that s*** goes all out the window."

Oddsmakers favor Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) to beat Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs). Alvarez is listed as a -330 betting favorite, while Mbilli is a +250 underdog, according to DraftKings.

"This fight is tailor-made for Canelo," Benavidez said. "Mbilli likes to stay there, he doesn't like to box. He likes to brawl, leaves himself really open for body shots and combinations. He's a great fighter, but I just feel that he's not at Canelo's level.

"But maybe [Alvarez's] best days are behind him. We'll have to wait and see, but I got Canelo winning. I think Canelo stops him with a body shot. We don't know, it's for them to showcase it. It could be a great fight, either way., a good fight for both."

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) was speaking at the inaugural press conference preceding his three-belt cruiserweight title unification against WBC champion Michal Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs). The pair will headline a DAZN PPV on December 5 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Benavidez collected WBA and WBO cruiserweight honors last time out, blasting Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in six rounds during his divisional debut on May 2.