Boxing

Promoter Reveals Only ‘True’ Test For Canelo Alvarez In Super Middleweight Division

Promoter names the only fighter that can challenge Canelo Alvarez after Bob Arum made avoiding claim.
Apratim Banerjee|
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during the game International Friendly on September 7, 2024.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during the game International Friendly on September 7, 2024. | IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is set for one of the biggest fights of his career next as he faces Terence Crawford on September 13. The superfight will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

While the fight has captured the mainstream media's attention, some purists remain skeptical. They think a two-weight division jump is simply too much for Crawford. There are also claims that Canelo is ducking real challenges to take money fights instead. After all, it's prize fighting, so there's no point blaming Canelo.

One promoter has now claimed that there's only one real challenge for Canelo at super middleweight, Christian Mbilli. The 29-0-0 Frenchman has a stellar 24 knockouts and recently stopped Maciej Sulecki in the first round.

Christian Mbilli
IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Mbilli is now the WBC interim super middleweight champion, and the 30-year-old's promoter Camille Estephan said after the fight:

There is only one true, official, clear challenger to Canelo and it’s this guy. This is a massive performance. It speaks for itself. He delivers the goods every time.

Canelo Alvarez has fought a who's who of the 168 lbs division and is a two-time undisputed champion. Fans, though, often claim that Canelo strategically avoided David Benavidez. Bob Arum thinks Canelo will also avoid Mbilli, as he recently said:

"There’s nothing to gain for Canelo to fight him. If he gets by Crawford, [Canelo's] gonna look for relatively easy fights. I don’t think Canelo is gonna be a fixture in the division. Canelo, if he beats Crawford, which I don’t think he will, he’s gonna look for some easy touches, finish the contract [with Riyadh Season], make his money and retire. He’s not looking to take any chances. I think Mbilli would beat Canelo. I think [David] Benavidez would beat Canelo. I don’t think Canelo is Canelo anymore.
Jaime Munguia throws a left hook vs Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Jaime Munguia throws a left hook vs Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

For now, Canelo is focused on Terence Crawford. He is undefeated in the super middleweight division and is looking to continue his run against 'Bud'.

Arum and Mbilli's camp are confident in their approach. The Canelo avoiding narrative might be a way to get the Mexican's attention and match him up against rising Frenchman Mbilli.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.