Canelo Alvarez will make his ring return in September as he attempts to regain the WBC super-middleweight world title against Christian Mbilli, and boxing icon Roy Jones Jr has explained what he believes will prove to be pivotal in the outcome of the fight.
Alvarez suffered an injury when he lost his undisputed throne to Terence Crawford back in September and was left sidelined when all four titles were reassigned, due to Crawford’s retirement and subsequent relinquishment.
However, following a successful elbow surgery, Alvarez will jump back into an immediate title shot against Mbilli, who was elevated to full WBC world champion after defending the interim belt against Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford undercard.
Whilst Canelo is undeniably a legend of the super-middleweight scene, the 35-year-old has shown signs of fading in recent outings, leaving fans questioning whether he still has what it takes to re-establish himself as the best 168lber on the planet.
Speaking with Boxing News, Jones Jr said that the bout against Mbilli will come down to how much hunger the Mexican has left, declaring that Canelo, at his optimum, will be too much for the best version of the new champion.
“That is a good fight to look at. I like Mbilli, but Canelo is still better than what people give him credit for, so I ain’t going to say that Mbilli is going to beat him.
“I know that Mbilli is a good fighter, but I haven’t seen Mbilli really prove himself [at the elite level] yet. I have seen what Canelo can do, so a hungry Canelo will beat Mbilli, but if he ain’t hungry, then Mbilli is gonna beat him.
“If he is hungry enough, he will win the fight, it all depends on what Canelo’s hunger level is.
Alvarez vs. Mbill takes place on Saturday, September 12, topping a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ bill which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.