Canelo Alvarez has outlined his exit strategy, naming the number of fights he expects to precede a hoped-for swansong in Mexico.
Having fought professionally for over two decades, the 36-year-old can consider himself a four-division world champion and, surely, a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.
He did, after all, reign supreme as a dominant super-middleweight champion before losing his undisputed crown to a masterful Terence Crawford in September 2025.
But while ‘Bud’ called time on his illustrious career a few months later, Canelo decided to remain in the sport and attempt to reclaim his WBC world title.
In order to do so, he must dethrone Christian Mbilli, who was elevated from ‘interim’ to full super-middleweight champion following the announcement of Crawford’s retirement.
Prior to that, the Frenchman had boxed to a thrilling draw against Lester Martinez but, like Canelo, has remained out of the ring for over a year.
Nevertheless, the pair will collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 31, with many giving Mbilli a genuine chance to defeat Alvarez and potentially send him into retirement.
Canelo, however, has told ESPN that he anticipates having three or four more fights beyond this next assignment, with his last outing hopefully taking place in Mexico.
“I want my last fight to be in Mexico. When I was there as a fan supporting the national team [in the World Cup in June], I was at Estadio Azteca [in Mexico City] and it’s a stadium that gives you an incredible vibe – a very good feeling. I pictured myself fighting there.
“For one reason or another, Emilio Azcarraga [chairman of Televisa, owner of the professional football team Club America] wanted to speak with me, so we got in touch, had a Zoom call and discussed the possibility of having a fight there in the future. Yes, I can definitely see myself fighting there.”
How Alvarez arrives at that final fight remains to be seen – should he defeat Mbilli later this month, he may target undisputed. If not, his last few outings may be of a more token value.
