Álvarez, Mbilli meet Saturday for super middleweight belt

Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez and Christian Mbilli face off Saturday, Oct. 31, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super middleweight belts. The 36-year-old Mexican is chasing the 168-pound title he lost to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas last September.

The fighters met at a Friday weigh-in and face-to-face session in Riyadh. Álvarez weighed in and told reporters he has been at this 21 years. "This fight is very important, 21 years since I debuted, 16 years since I won my first world championship, and this Saturday I will win it again," he said. "I am very happy and ready."

Álvarez dismissed any comparison with Mbilli. "The talent I have is very different, he has not faced anyone like me, and Saturday will be very different," he said. Mbilli, 31, born in Cameroon and based in Canada, answered with his own forecast: "I will beat him, I am in better condition than him in every sense, in technique, I am putting everything into this fight."

Mbilli told reporters a win would change his life and called the matchup "the fight of the year, of the decade." Boxo.Live lists his record at 29 wins, zero losses and one draw across 30 bouts. His only blemish is a draw against Lester Martínez in his last outing.

The bell is set for 3:30 p.m. Central time, with fighters expected to reach the ring shortly before. DAZN carries the card on pay-per-view at $79.99. TV Azteca broadcasts it free in Mexico and on its digital platforms.

The fight was originally scheduled for Sept. 12 in Riyadh. Álvarez told Uncrowned he postponed it to handle family matters. "I have always been very disciplined with my training and I was not ready to enter training camp. That is why I postponed the fight, because I need to attend to my family first," he said. "Now everything is fine, I am ready to train and we will fight on Oct. 31."

Both fighters return after 13 months out of the ring. Álvarez enters as the challenger. Raul Delgado, sports journalist at Telemundo Chicago, said the matchup has drawn little noise because the two respect each other and no large rivalry exists between them. He also said he doubts Mbilli can beat Álvarez given Mbilli could not get past Martínez.

An ESPN report called Mbilli a real threat to Álvarez but said the Mexican arrives as the favorite, and that a win would reestablish him as the best active fighter at 168 pounds. Boxo.Live lists Mbilli's record at 29 wins, no losses and one draw across 30 fights. The bout is set for Oct. 31 in Riyadh.