In a city under attack, Canelo Alvarez became the definition of calm under fire

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated Christian Mbilli via unanimous decision to claim the WBC super middleweight championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight took place amid regional tension following emergency aerial threat alerts in the city. Alvarez controlled the contest from the ropes, nullifying Mbilli's early aggression with counterpunches to secure victory with judges' scores of 115-112, 116-111, and 117-110.

Mbilli started on the front foot during the early rounds, but Alvarez adjusted by inviting attacks and countering effectively. Mbilli was also docked a point by referee Hector Afu in Round 8 for hitting behind the head. Following the bout, Alvarez improved his professional record to 64-3-2 with 39 knockouts.