Canelo Alvarez is set to challenge Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title later this month. Former promoter Oscar De La Hoya has shared his perspective on the upcoming bout.
Making his first super-middleweight appearance as a non-champion since unifying the division against Callum Smith in 2020, the Mexican superstar travels to Riyadh to face Mbilli. The bout marks Canelo’s first title defense since losing the 168-pound belt last September.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, De La Hoya criticized Canelo for opting to fight in Saudi Arabia rather than Mexico or on Mexican holidays, labeling the four-division champion a “sellout.”
“I’m not [surprised to see Canelo fighting in Saudi Arabia], he is a sell out. I mean, you have the biggest Mexican fighter on the planet fighting on Halloween?
“You should be fighting in September, you should be fighting on your Mexican holidays. The final leg of your career, the final hurrah – go out there and fight for your Mexican fans, fight on the dates that we feel proud to support you on, September and May.
“Those are historically the biggest days in boxing, not fights at 3am in the morning against a guy who – I respect all fighters, I respect Mbilli – but I really don’t know how he got there.”
Despite the criticism, Canelo recently stated that he wants his eventual retirement fight to be held in Mexico.
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