Canelo Alvarez names the fighter he wants to pass the torch to
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On September 12, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Canelo Alvarez returns to action against Christian Mbilli, with Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight title on the line. As we build up to Canelo’s return, the former undisputed super middleweight king spoke to Rick Reeno on the Mr Verzace Podcast, where he named one fighter he hoped to pass the torch to.
Canelo Alvarez ready to face Mbilli on September 12
Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was last seen in action, losing his undisputed status against Terence Crawford. It was a brave effort from the Mexican, but Crawford proved too sharp and deserved the victory. Despite Canelo’s huge edge in experience, Mbilli will be determined to prove he deserves to be the full world champion.
Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) fought on the Canelo-Crawford undercard, a split draw against Lester Martinez. Mbilli was elevated to full champion status because Crawford was stripped of the title he won against Canelo Alvarez for failing to honour a payment agreement with the sanctioning body. Crawford soon announced his retirement. Many speculated about what Alvarez would do next with the Crawford rematch off the table.
Canelo Alvarez identifies one fighter he wants to pass the torch to
Mbilli will come forward and look to put Canelo under pressure. The Cameroonian carries plenty of power and is a vicious inside fighter, but Canelo, if retaining much of his old ability, should relish a come-forward opponent and look to make Mbilli miss, punishing him with sharp counterpunching. It’s an intriguing showdown, and one that should catch fire.
Speaking to Rick Reeno, Canelo was clear about which fighter he wants to pass the torch to:
“I would love to pass the torch to Munguia,” said Alvarez.
Despite being a former opponent of Canelo, Munguia, now trained by Edy Reynoso, had Canelo cheering for him at ringside in his most recent fight against Armando Resendiz.