Who will get the biggest payday of his career? Canelo Alvarez apparently wants to take his time with the choice of opponent for his Saudi comeback.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is apparently taking his time in choosing his next opponent. Although WBC champion Christian Mbilli has been considered an obvious option for weeks, according to information from those involved in the talks, the Frenchman is by no means a foregone conclusion. Rather, it is said that Mbilli is “on the shortlist” – but nothing more.
So far, only the broad outline is certain: Canelo is scheduled to return on September 12, 2026 in Saudi Arabia, i.e. around the weekend of Mexico’s Independence Day. According to BoxingScene, it won’t be decided for a few weeks who will face him there. The only thing that is clear is that the opponent selected will collect the biggest payday of his career.
This leaves the field open. In addition to Mbilli, other names from the super middleweight division are also being discussed. One candidate is Jose Armando Resendiz, who will fight Jaime Munguia on May 2. Hamzah Sheeraz, who faces Alem Begic for the vacant WBO title on May 23, could also put himself in contention with a win. Even Jermall Charlo is said to be an outsider solution.
Although Mbilli has strong sporting arguments as the new WBC champion, Canelo seems to be deliberately keeping the decision open. At the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing: not a federation, not a challenger, but Canelo himself alone will determine what his Saudi comeback will look like.
Text by Robin Josten