Esteemed trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre believes Canelo Alvarez could be in for a rude awakening when he faces Christian Mbilli in October.
The two super-middleweights will square off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Canelo entering his first outing since losing to Terence Crawford last September.
This unanimous decision relieved the Mexican of his crown at 168lbs, though now he is attempting to reclaim one quarter of the undisputed championship.
Looking to craft his own legacy, meanwhile, is Mbilli, who was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement in December.
Known for implementing a high-volume style, the Frenchman comes off an enthralling 10-round draw with Lester Martinez, which featured on the undercard of Canelo-Crawford.
As Martinez’s head coach, ‘BoMac’ knows more than most about the intensity and physicality that Mbilli brings to the ring, believing this could play a factor against the 35-year-old Canelo.
Not only that, but McIntyre has told FightHype that he suspects Alvarez was reluctant to take this challenge as part of his multi-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh.
“It’s no walk in the park for Canelo – I promise you that. Mbilli is a fighting motherf**ker, and he fights all the way to the end.
“Will his skills pull through or will Canelo’s skills pull through? That must be seen. If [Canelo wins], it’s probably going to take a toll on him.
“That motherf**ker Mbilli will fight you toe-to-toe. Does Canelo want that at this age? Probably not.
“Is he getting made to [take] fights like that with that guaranteed money [from Alalshikh]? Probably so.”
With Martinez defending his WBC ‘interim’ title against Luka Plantic on August 29, ‘BoMac’ is hopeful that his charge faces the winner of Mbilli-Canelo.
The American trainer has already faced both Mbilli and Canelo, albeit while occupying the corner of different fighters, and will likely be confident in guiding Martinez to victory.
