Future Hall of Famer and former undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez intends to be back in the ring this Fall. We have details here.
Future hall of famer Canelo Alvarez is set to make his return to the ring on September 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for what has been billed as a major event.
Alvarez made appearance on an announcement Thursday by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, who appeared alongside the Mexican superstar in a brief video shared on social media.
“Wait for us in September. 12th of September — big, big, big fight and this will be the first card for Canelo Promotions,” Alalshikh said. He was joined by Alvarez’s longtime adviser Richard Schaefer and Dr. Rakan Al-Harthy, managing director of the Saudi-based sports and entertainment company SELA. The bout will mark Alvarez’s third fight under a four-fight agreement directly with Alalshikh.
Watch them here:
That deal began back in May of 2025 in Riyadh, when Alvarez turned in a lackluster decision victory over IBF mandatory 168 lb. challenger William Scull, who was largely unwilling to engage. That win allowed Alvarez to re-unify the super middleweight division and become undisputed champion for the second time in his career.
That also set up his September 13th mega fight, as Alvarez headlined one of the biggest events in North American boxing in this decade by fight but losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford. The bout was at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in front of 70,482 fans and a global Netflix audience. And, it saw Crawford, move up two weight classes and shock many by out boxing Alvarez to claim the undisputed super middleweight championship via scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
Soon after, on October 23rd, Alvarez underwent surgery on his left elbow to remove loose particles caused by years of wear and tear from a professional career that began two decades ago. That procedure forced a delay in his return in the early part of 2026. It was originally expected Canelo would fight again in February in Riyadh. But, Alvarez and his team opted to push his comeback to the Fall to allow for full recovery and rest.
The 35 year old Alvarez, 63-3-2, 39 KOs, remains one of boxing’s biggest draws, and securing another title opportunity will not be difficult. He is currently ranked No. 1 at super middleweight by the WBC, WBA and WBO, and No. 3 by the IBF. A rematch with Crawford remains a possibility should Crawford reconsider his recent retirement.
The super middleweight title picture is fluid. Crawford was stripped of his WBC belt for failing to pay sanctioning fees for the Canelo fight and he then relinquished the other belts. The WBA elevated Armando Resendiz to full champion, and the remaining belts are still vacant with contenders lining up.
Alalshikh added that the September event will be branded “Mexico Against the World,” with Alvarez headlining for a world title during Mexican Independence Day weekend — a familiar and symbolic date, though this time on Saudi soil rather than Las Vegas.
One other possibility to consider is that Alvarez might move up, again, to light heavyweight and challenge unified 175 lb. champ Dmitry Bivol of Russia. Bivol upset Alvarez by unanimous decision in May of 2022.
Bivol has also headlined for Alashikh on previous Riyadh Season cards, including beating fellow countryman Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175 lb. titles last February.