Canelo is back on top

For a man who had spent more than a year away from the ring recovering from elbow surgery while carrying the psychological weight of a disappointing loss to Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez stepped into the center of the ring on Saturday night looking remarkably like himself.

Systematic, composed, and defensively brilliant, Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) reclaimed the WBC super-middleweight championship with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Christian Mbilli. The judges scored the main event 117-110, 116-111, and 115-112, reflecting a masterclass performance in which the Mexican icon methodically dismantled his opponent's game plan.

Alvarez, 36, was visibly moved after having one of the 168-pound titles he lost to Crawford in September 2025 wrapped back around his waist. ""It's so difficult to explain," Alvarez said of his postfight emotions. "It's something unbelievable, this feeling. Like my first title. Thirty-one years as a professional. Sixteen years ago, I won my first title. Now, I won the title again. I'm so proud."

If there is any room for criticism in Alvarez's performance, it is the continuation of a trend seen throughout his mid-30s: a reluctance to press for a stoppage. Yet even in the moments when Mbilli landed cleanly, Alvarez maintained total psychological control.

In the final round, after absorbing a hard Mbilli right hand, Alvarez walked to the center of the ring, beat his chest, and beckoned Mbilli to come at him again. Mbilli connected with another clean right later in the frame, but the sequence felt entirely dictated by the champion a showcase of supreme confidence on the sport's biggest stage.

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