Canelo Alvarez is supposed to challenge Christian Mbilli in Riyadh on October 31. A month out, fans still cannot buy tickets, the full undercard has not been announced, and a report says the event’s VADA testing program has yet to be funded. For a Canelo pay per view, too much essential work remains unfinished.
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael raised the ticket and card gaps Tuesday. He also pointed to the U.S. State Department’s September 15 advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia because of risks that include Iranian drone and missile attacks. The warning does not prohibit travel. It does make a late ticket launch harder on fans who need to arrange flights and hotels.
The testing issue is more serious than a delayed advertising campaign. BoxingScene reported Monday that Sela had not funded VADA testing for Canelo and Mbilli, citing an official familiar with the arrangement. Four weeks before a major title fight, that is a significant lapse for the organizer. Every day without funding cuts into the time available for testing, and Canelo’s 2018 clenbuterol case makes the delay especially hard to defend.
Canelo has confirmed October 31, DAZN has promoted the matchup, and the WBC has identified ANB Arena as the venue. The fight is being discussed publicly. What has yet to follow is the practical launch that lets people attend it and tells pay per view buyers what else they are getting.
That missing sales window hurts this particular fight. Mbilli is a dangerous, aggressive WBC champion, but casual American viewers may need more than Canelo’s name to justify buying the broadcast. The undercard could help make that case. Leaving it unannounced gives the organizers less time to introduce Mbilli, showcase the supporting fights, and build interest beyond the committed boxing audience.
Sela needs to open ticket sales, announce the card, and fund the testing program now. If those steps are still missing next week, fans will have good reason to question whether October 31 is a workable fight date, regardless of how often it appears on a schedule.
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