Alvarez will return to the ring after nearly a one-year layoff to challenge Mbilli for his WBC super middleweight title on September 12 in the main event of a Ring card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Renowned trainer Manny Robles believes Alvarez faces a tall task in Mbilli, but he also expects the former four-division champion to be at his best.

“Canelo is not taking an easy fight,” Robles told The Ring. “Mbilli is no pushover. Mbilli is a very, very good fighter. Tough. comes forward, I believe Canelo is going to have his hands full, but Canelo is Canelo. Definitely one of the best fighters in the world – proven to be one of the best. [I have] nothing but good things to say about Canelo and Mbilli.”

Alvarez and Mbilli came face to face for the first time during a press conference to formally announce the fight on Saturday in Giza, Egypt.

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will make the first defense of his belt after he was elevated to full titlist earlier this year. The 31-year-old, Quebec-based champion from Yaounde, Cameroon fought to a split draw in a back-and-forth contest against Lester Martinez on the undercard of Alvarez’s unanimous-decision defeat to Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Mbilli’s last win was a first-round knockout of former middleweight world title challenger Maciej Sulecki almost 11 months ago. Mbilli is The Ring's No. 3-ranked super middleweight.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion, though his last reign ended without a title defense after the defeat to Crawford. Alvarez, 35, defended his titles four times in his first run as undisputed champion.

His last win came a year ago, when he beat William Scull for his IBF belt by unanimous decision to become undisputed super middleweight champion for a second time. Alvarez is The Ring's No. 1 contender for a super middleweight crown left unclaimed when Crawford retired in mid-December.