Christian Mbilli looks to punish Canelo Alvarez

Mbilli believes Canelo made a mistake in choosing him, with the Mexican star facing mounting pressure to prove he still belongs among boxing’s elite.

Christian Mbilli wants to punish Saul Alvarez for choosing him as an opponent. Although Saul Alvarez could have challenged IBF champion Osleys Iglesias, he decided to face Christian Mbilli instead. The WBC champion sees this as a mistake that he would like to take advantage of.

"He’s made a mistake, and I’m going to make him pay“

he told The Ring.

The two will face off on October 31, with Christian Mbilli set to defend his WBC title. Saul Alvarez enters the bout as the challenger, but will likely draw the largest fan base. Due to his high profile, he will still have a great deal of freedom in choosing his opponents, which is precisely why the WBC title holder wants to penalize him. On paper, Christian Mbilli’s aggressive style offers Saul Alvarez exactly the opportunities he needs to utilize his counterpunching strengths. The only problem is that Christian Mbilli is very fast and active, which could push the now 36-year-old Mexican to his limits. Should Christian Mbilli win the bout decisively, the consequences for Saul Alvarez would be quite severe, and questions about whether he still belongs among the elite would grow louder. His negotiating position would also be significantly weakened if he loses the bout decisively. He really needs a win, preferably a dominant one.

There’s really a lot at stake for him, as he has a lot to prove. Christian Mbilli, however, wants to make this the toughest challenge of his life, which could make this bout extremely exciting.

I think we're going to see a really good fight here. I'm really excited, but I think that if we don't see a knockout in the first 5 rounds, Christian Mbilli will have the clear advantage from that point on. I think it could be a really close one for Saul Alvarez. What do you guys think?