Canelo Alvarez Arrives in Riyadh Ahead of WBC Super Middleweight Title Fight Against Christian Mbilli

Canelo Alvarez arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of his October 31 challenge for the WBC super middleweight title against champion Christian Mbilli. The bout, scheduled for 12 rounds at The Venue in Riyadh, will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view and is included with a DAZN Ultimate subscription.

Mbilli had already landed in Saudi Arabia. Alvarez was welcomed by Faisal Bafarat, chief executive of the General Entertainment Authority, alongside fellow fighters Jaime Munguia and Rafael Espinoza.

The fight ends a 13-month ring absence for the 36-year-old Mexican star, who last competed in September 2025 when Terence Crawford outpointed him to claim the undisputed super middleweight championship.

Alvarez enters with a 63-3-2 record (39 knockouts) and aims to reclaim a title at 168 pounds. A four-division champion, he has twice held all four major belts in the super middleweight division.

Mbilli, 29-0-1 with 24 knockouts, makes the first defense of the full WBC title. The Cameroon-born, Montreal-based fighter captured the interim belt with a first-round stoppage of Maciej Sulecki in June 2025, but his most recent outing ended in a split draw against Lester Martinez. He now puts his unbeaten record and championship on the line.

Canelo vs. Mbilli Start Time and Ring Walks

Preliminary coverage begins at 10:15 a.m. ET / 7:15 a.m. PT / 2:15 p.m. GMT on Saturday, October 31.

The main pay-per-view card starts at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. GMT.

Ring walks for the main event are scheduled for approximately 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. GMT, with the opening bell expected around 6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT / 10:15 p.m. GMT. The main event will not begin before 6 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. GMT. All times are estimates and subject to change, particularly following adjustments to the undercard.

How to Watch on DAZN

The DAZN pay-per-view is priced at $79.99 in the United States. Subscribers to DAZN Ultimate can watch the event without an additional PPV purchase.

Undercard Changes Ahead of Saturday

Jaime Munguia faces Nikita Zon in a 12-round WBA super middleweight title bout, slated for approximately 5 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. GMT.

Rafael Espinoza will now meet Ricardo Blandon for the WBO featherweight title, replacing Lorenzo Parra. The WBO approved Blandon as the substitute challenger; the fight was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. GMT.

Raymundo Rojas Garcia takes on Reito Tsutsumi over 10 rounds at super featherweight, opening the PPV portion at 2 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. GMT.

Lindolfo Delgado’s scheduled IBF super lightweight title fight against Arthur Biyarslanov has been removed from the card, according to reporter Lance Pugmire. The previously advertised 2:55 p.m. ET slot should no longer be considered a confirmed bout time.

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