Canelo Alvarez Outclasses Mbilli To Claim WBC Title
Canelo Alvarez added another world title to his collection Saturday night, outpointing Christian Mbilli over 12 rounds to claim the WBC middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight belt at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 36-year-old Mexican veteran, competing for the first time since his loss to Terence Crawford last year, used superior ring craft and patience to gradually break down the younger, undefeated French champion. Mbilli landed some sharp early combinations and briefly took control of the middle rounds by pressing Canelo against the ropes, but the challenger's experience and cleaner shot selection proved decisive down the stretch, per MMA Mania's live coverage.
Point Deduction Shifts Momentum in Championship Rounds
The turning point came in Round 8 when referee Harvey Dock penalised Mbilli one point after multiple warnings for punches to the back of Canelo's head. Canelo had complained about the illegal blows throughout the bout, and the deduction appeared to rattle the champion's rhythm. From there, Canelo controlled the pace with crisp counters and body work, landing a huge uppercut in Round 7 and another damaging right hand late in Round 12 that visibly hurt Mbilli.
Mbilli showed urgency in the final two rounds, landing his best punch of the night — a right hand that snapped Canelo's head back in the 12th — but it was not enough to overcome the deficit on the scorecards. All three judges scored the fight for Canelo by unanimous decision, as reported by MMA Mania.
The win marks Canelo's latest championship in a career spanning 15 years at the sport's highest level. Mbilli, who entered undefeated, saw his WBC interim middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight reign end in his toughest test to date. No immediate plans for Canelo's next bout have been announced.
Original reporting:
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