Canelo Alvarez’s fight in peril
Oct 15, 2026
Calls are mounting for the cancellation or resetting of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s upcoming fight with World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight champion (168 pounds) Christian Mbilli.
The 12-round title fight is set to take place on October 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The undercard is packed with great fights, including a contest between Filipino world title prospect Carl Jammes “Wonder Boy” Martin and Mexican adversary Alan David Picasso.
Martin, 28-0 with 21 knockouts, is ranked No. 1 by the WBO in the junior featherweight (122 pounds) division and the fight with Picasso is thus far the biggest in his young career.
Mexican superstar Alvarez, 63-3, 2 draws, with 39 knockouts, is making his first ring appearance since losing to American Terence Crawford on September 13, 2025 and undergoing successful elbow surgery.
While Alvarez, Mbilli and the boxers appearing in the undercard are all raring to go, safety concerns have been raised following the escalation of military activities in the region.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport with drone and missile attacks, resulting in multiple fatalities and hundreds of injuries.
As of this writing, the most recent Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia occurred last October 14, when a Houthi missile hit a Saudi Aramco administrative building in the eastern city of Dhahran. The continuous wave of cross-border missile and drone strikes has thus far claimed the lives of close to 20 individuals and injured hundreds.
The Alvarez-Mbilli fight card is scheduled to take place at The Venue (although initial promotional materials referenced the Kingdom Arena) in Riyadh.
The Venue has an audience capacity of almost 10,000.00. Critics say this could make The Venue a target for the Houthi rebels.
Recently, the Mexican Embassy and the United Mission in Saudi Arabia have issued warnings advising citizens to exercise extreme caution or avoid areas near major Saudi airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.
The United States has also issued a level 3 security alert and called on U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Riyadh.
Despite the pressure to postpone or move the event to a safer venue like Las Vegas, Nevada, Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh has insisted that the fight will proceed as planned in Riyadh.
“Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He fears nothing,” Alalshikh wrote on his “X” (formerly Twitter) account.
Reports are swirling that Alvarez is planning to take a private jet and head to a private airport.
Many of the boxers set to appear in the card are represented by the United States-based Top Rank Promotions.
WBC super middleweight champ Mbilli is co-represented by Top Rank alongside Eye of the Tiger Management.
Mexican and WBA super middleweight champ Jaime Munguia, who will face unbeaten Russian Nikita Lon, is also co-represented by Top Rank.
Mexican Rafael Espinoza, who will defend his WBO featherweight crown against Lorenzo Parra, is also represented by Top Rank.
Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum may be having second thoughts on sending his fighters to Riyadh.
Moving the entire card to the United States definitely makes sense. Then again, the card has to be moved to a later date because it not that easy to set up a boxing card in such a short span or time or by October 31.
Believe it or not, some of the boxers are reportedly not that keen on rescheduling the fight.
Alvarez has been guaranteed around $47 million while Mbilii will reportedly bankroll nearly $9 million. Alvarez’s purse is part of a multi-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
Boxers in the undercard have also been promised huge paydays.
However, should the boxers fail to show up in Riyadh come fight time, there is the possibility that they will not be paid.
The Alvarez-Mbilli fight is not the only major sports event that is facing the possibility of being scrapped because of the situation in Riyadh.
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has booked a special event on November 7 in Riyadh.
A tennis event dubbed “Six Kings Slam,” featuring tennis superstars Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and several others, is being penciled for October 21-24.
The staging of the aforesaid events arguably hangs in the balance.
