Canelo vs Mbilli Undercard Announced Amid Safety Concerns

What to Know

• The General Entertainment Authority announced the undercard lineup for the upcoming October 31 card featuring Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The news comes amid growing concerns about the escalating turmoil in the region due to drone strikes in Riyadh by Houthi rebels based in Yemen, including strikes on the Riyadh airport.
• NY Fights pointed out the travel advisory issues to citizens in North America several weeks ago by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, announced on Thursday the undercard fights scheduled on the Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli card, for Mbilli’s WBC World Super Middleweight title.

The fight card is currently scheduled to take place in Riyadh on October 31. DAZN Boxing will broadcast it live starting at 12 noon ET/9 a.m. PT with prelim fights.

Visit tr-sport.click for more information.

But news reports of escalating conflict spilling into Saudi Arabia by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, including drone strikes on the capital’s airport, throw the location for the “Mexico vs the World” card into doubt.

As I reported September 29 here on NY Fights, the U.S. State Department and the governments of Canada and Mexico have warned citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the region, including Saudi Arabia.

Alvarez returns to the ring 13 months after losing to Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The future Hall of Famer and former undisputed super-middleweight champion will now challenge Mbilli as the launch pad for the next chapter of his career.

The unbeaten French-Cameroonian champion Mbilli, now based in Montreal, is defending his title for the first time. Mbilli claimed the interim WBC belt by defeating Maciej Sulecki in June before being confirmed as full champion in January 2026

It is the biggest opportunity of Mbilli’s career. Mbilli fought on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard, where he fought Lester Martinez of Guatemala to a draw.

Mexican Champions Munguia and Espinoza Join Undercard

Jaime Munguia was in championship form on the Cinco de Mayo fight card Saturday in Las Vegas. Photo: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy Boxing

The “Mexico vs the World” card officially announced key undercard matchups, two featuring popular world champions who were long expected to be part of the card.

WBA World Super Middleweight champion Jaime Munguia of Tijuana (46-2-0, 35 KOs), who now trains alongside Canelo Alvarez with Eddy Reynoso, will defend his title against unbeaten Russian Nikita Zon (12-0-1, 10 KOs). Zon will fight outside Russia for the first time as a professional. His resume contains only limited domestic opponents.

Munguia won his title in May over the durable Armando Resendiz. This is Munguia’s first title defense. He put on one of his best performances against Resendiz, and he is being teed up to look just as good over Zon.

Rafael Espinoza’s uppercut is among his best weapons. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

WBO World Featherweight champion Rafael “Divino” Espinoza of Guadalajara (28-0, 24 KOs) takes on challenger Lorenzo Parra of Venezuela (24-1-1, 18 KOs), the division’s number-one contender.

Espinoza has delivered four sensational title defenses by knockout after he won the belt by decision against Robeisy Ramirez in December 2023, considered an upset at the time. Espinoza has developed a significant fan base of Mexican and American fans with his style in and out of the ring.

Parra arrives in Riyadh following an impressive stoppage victory over Elijah Pearce.

David Picasso hopes his return to Riyadh produces a better result after his loss in December to Naoya Inoue. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

David Picasso of Mexico City (33-1-1, 18 KOs) faces unbeaten Carl Martin of the Philippines (28-0, 21 KOs). Martin is ranked as the WBO’s number-one super-bantamweight contender. Picasso returns to Riyadh after taking on pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue last December, going the 12 round distance in a decision loss.

Unbeaten opponents Lindolfo Delgado of Mexico (24-0, 16 KOs) and Arthur Biyarslanov of Toronto via Russia (21-0, 17 KOs) will meet for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title.

Delgado hopes to become the latest Mexican champion, while Biyarslanov would like to do the same for his adopted country. Both fighters will make their Riyadh Season debut.

Ring Magazine ambassador Reito Tsutsumi of Japan (5-0, 4 KOs) will face Raymundo Rojas Garcia of Mexico (16-2, 11 KOs) in the super featherweight division. The 24-year-old southpaw Tsutsumi is already turning heads with his early pro career performances.

Four “Before the Bell” fights include Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez vs Bek Nurmaganbet, Carlos Emiliano Rojo Vazquez vs Flavius Biea, Hector Aguirre vs Brayan Leon Salgado and Erick Jahir Villegas vs Sultan Almohammed.

Will the Canelo vs Mbilli Card Be Relocated?

Not many fans from the United States, Mexico, and Canada are realistically expected to travel to Saudi Arabia to see this card in person.

Should this warning be heeded and the Mexico vs the World card moved?

Security concerns primarily affect the fighters, their teams, families, and the American and British production teams, including the broadcasters traveling to Riyadh to stage the event. But this is not an insignificant population, especially those performing on camera whether in the ring or ringside.

The U.S. State Department has active travel advisories in place for the Middle East, including a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory for Saudi Arabia including conflict escalation, flight cancellations, and airspace closures.

A Level 3 alert is labeled “Reconsider Travel” and covers Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Isreal, and the West Bank. Details here.

The State Department cites active threats from Iranian drone and missile targeting along with attacks and threats from Houthi rebels in Yemen directed at Saudi territory, infrastructure, and American interests. Falling debris from intercepted projectiles also poses a danger.

This is not the highest alert level. Level 4 is “Do Not Travel” which includes hotspots Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza due to severe terrorism risks, civil unrest, and limited or no ability for the American government to provide emergency consular services.

While there is no official confirmation that a backup venue is under consideration, there is a steady undercurrent of comments from concerned observers in boxing that the card needs to be moved. With a full roster of Mexican current and former champions, including some of the biggest names in boxing, fans would be eager to see this card in Las Vegas or another western U.S. venue.

Finding a venue on short notice that isn’t already booked for the NBA, NHL, concerts, or other events could be tricky. But it bears serious consideration.

Once again, we repeat our favorite bit of advice: never make nonrefundable travel plans in boxing.

 

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