On September 13, 2025, it was one of the most difficult days for Mexican sport, after in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saul Canelo Alvarez was defeated by American Terence Crawford in a fight eagerly awaited by boxing fans around the world. However, it ended up being a painful moment for Mexicans.
Crawford, at that time, moved up two divisions and achieved the feat by easily defeating Canelo, even though the judges considered the fight to be close. In the end, the decision was unanimous (scores: 116-112, 115-113, 115-113), and with this Crawford took all of the Mexican’s super middleweight titles in a fight considered one of the most important of the decade.
Canelo could return in September, but nothing is certain.
Many have wanted to challenge Canelo Alvarez; however, the native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, could be facing Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Saudi Arabia. However, there is one obstacle to this fight taking place: the war in the Middle East.
“We are considering September, but nothing is confirmed,” Ngannou’s manager, Camille Estephan, told FightsATW. “Not even having it in writing is enough. You have to go through the weigh-in and we’ll see what happens.”
It is important to note that Mbilli is the WBC world champion in the super middleweight division (168 lb), and it is the division in which Canelo has looked best, so this fight is likely to happen.
Why hasn’t Canelo fought since the defeat to Terence Crawford?
The pressure to see Canelo again is strong, especially after the painful defeat against Crawford. However, the Mexican has not been able to return, and after the fight in September 2025 he underwent elbow surgery and is currently in the process of recovery, with a view to returning in September this year.
Is it enough for Canelo to face Christian Mbilli?
It is understandable that Christian Mbilli is the world champion in the super middleweight division (168 lb) of the WBC, but the Mexican fan is demanding, and many want to see Canelo again against Dmitry Bivol or David Benavidez. However, due to Canelo’s veteran status, accepting one of these battles would be very risky for the Mexican pugilist.
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