Christian Mbilli to defend WBC title in Riyad

Christian Mbilli will keep his planned first defence of the WBC super-middleweight championship, with the fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez set for Riyad on October 31. The confirmation ends uncertainty surrounding the venue and allows the Cameroonian-born French boxer to continue the training camp already under way.

Mbilli received the WBC belt after Terence Crawford retired. The bout had been placed in doubt by the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, prompting Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh to consider moving it to Las Vegas in November. The original Riyad plan has now been restored.

The contest will be available on DAZN pay-per-view, with the French broadcast schedule potentially falling late because the timing is expected to target North American audiences. Mbilli, who is usually based in Canada, is preparing in Spain at Oleksandr Usyk’s gym, with the Ukrainian heavyweight alongside him. He has welcomed the certainty and said Riyad should provide a more neutral setting than Las Vegas, where Mexican support for Alvarez would likely have been stronger.

The fight will be Mbilli’s first since September 2025, when he drew with Lester Martinez at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. That result remains the only bout in his career that did not end in victory. Mbilli began boxing at 15 in Montargis.