On September 12, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Canelo Alvarez is set to return to action against Christian Mbilli, with Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight title up for grabs. 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 clarified a recent encounter with Jake Paul.
Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli set for Riyadh showdown
Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was last seen in action, losing his undisputed status against Terence Crawford. It remains to be seen what the Mexican has left, but Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) has shown he will not be letting go of his title without a fight. The Cameroonian fighter was involved in a highly entertaining fight last time out, drawing with Lester Martinez on the Alvarez-Crawford undercard.
Mbilli was elevated to full champion status because he 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 the Mexican would do next, but this fight with Mbilli has presented him with an opportunity to reclaim one of his super middleweight titles.
Canelo clarifies recent FaceTime encounter with Jake Paul
Clarifying a recent interaction with Jake Paul, Canelo said:
“One of my friends was at Coachella, and he saw Jake Paul, and maybe he said, ‘I’m friends with Canelo’ or whatever.’ And I was with my little daughter, and I saw the FaceTime of my friend, and I just answered, and it was Jake Paul there with him.
“And he started talking, ‘Oh, I respect you and this and that’, and I said, ‘Yeah, I have nothing against you too.’ I don’t really care about anything. My friend starts saying ‘200 million, 200 million, 200 million.’ And I don’t say anything because I don’t really care about that fight. And I don’t say anything. I just laugh, and I say, ‘No, I respect you, too.’ And I don’t have anything against you.’”
“I have realised that in every single event, they need to talk about me to sell tickets and pay-per-view. There are other fights there, and they always talk about Canelo, because they don’t sell tickets. They don’t sell pay-per-view. They need to mention my name. And I think Jake Paul doesn’t sell so many tickets for the fight with his company. That’s why he brought that situation and the 200 million. But look, it’s fine. I just laughed. I’m not worried about anything,” added Canelo.
September 12 will mark the return of Alvarez, but this is no easy comeback fight. Mbilli carries power and applies plenty of pressure. Has Canelo got enough left in the tank to become world champion once again?