Canelo Alvarez arrived in Egypt this week looking heavier than usual ahead of the first press conference for his September 12 fight against WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Mexican star touched down in Cairo during fight week for Saturday’s Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven event at the Pyramids of Giza, which has turned into a major promotional week for DAZN and Turki Alalshikh. Footage posted by Ring Magazine showed Canelo stepping off a private jet wearing a pink tracksuit as he arrived for the launch events tied to the Mbilli fight.
The appearance drew attention because Canelo is still nearly four months away from facing Mbilli, yet the promotional rollout for the bout is already beginning during one of the year’s biggest boxing weeks. The timing also adds more visibility to Mbilli, who will challenge for Canelo’s WBC super middleweight title in September.
Canelo’s physical appearance quickly became part of the discussion online as fans reacted to him looking thicker than usual while still early in training camp. Fighters often carry extra weight between camps, but some fans noted the contrast between Canelo’s current look and the sharper condition he usually shows closer to fight week.
It was unclear whether Canelo purposely came in heavier for the Mbilli fight because of the size difference. Mbilli is a naturally bigger super middleweight than Terence Crawford, who moved up in weight for his fight against Canelo earlier this year.
The first official press conference for the Canelo-Mbilli fight is expected to take place in Egypt before attention turns back to Saturday’s heavyweight event headlined by Usyk defending his WBC title against Verhoeven at the Pyramids.
CANELO IS HERE 🤩
Canelo Alvarez has landed in Egypt ahead of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven and the first press conference for his fight against Christian Mbilli 🇪🇬
Glory in Giza | May 23rd | LIVE on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/RP8nrd1IL7
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 21, 2026
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Last Updated on 2026/05/21 at 3:41 PM
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