Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli — PRESS CONFERENCE

[18:57] teams racing to become champions of the water this is the future of race gonna collide surely [19:05] he's flying what a race we've got here the world's greatest drivers is like the super bowl [20:44] program is recommended for those 16 and over contain sporting violence possible bad language [21:18] and flashing imagery two decades one man has carried the hopes of a nation and become the face [22:46] of boxing around the world from guadalajara to the biggest stages in the sport canelo alvarez has [22:52] built a legacy few can match but now the mission is to reclaim his place at the very top the next [22:59] chapter starts now welcome to the official press conference for canelo alvarez versus christian [23:06] and billy yeah so good to have you with us welcome into our studio for the press conference show my [23:12] name is kate scott i'm with the former light middleweight champ sergio mora and uh former [23:17] heavyweight title contender malik scott now coach let's start by talking about the main event in [23:21] this one obviously all eyes on canelo alvarez after he lost those undisputed super middleweight titles [23:27] to terence crawford which was now a year ago so this is the first fight back the beginning of the [23:31] rebuild just how much heart does he have to have sergio to still want to do this 70 fights into a [23:37] professional career i never questioned a fighter's heart when it comes to boxing they've been you know [23:41] we've been fighting since we were kids it's it's hunger it really is hunger it's ambition what do you [23:46] really fighting for so if you're canelo who's filthy rich who's been at the top of the game for [23:51] so long how much hunger does he really have how much ambition does he really have to fight these [23:56] younger stronger bigger guys that are going to keep on lining up there's always going to be a monster [24:01] around the block so it's the hunger that i question with canelo i guess one of the things that's been [24:05] interesting in the build up to this fight and certainly coming into this week is is seeing the scenes [24:09] of canelo alvarez arriving alongside olexander usick having uh been been doing some of his training over [24:15] there at u6 facility in spain it feels like he's he's put himself in a new environment maybe that's [24:22] part of kind of refreshing the hunger but what what can anybody even somebody at canelo's level [24:27] just soak up from being around somebody like an alexander usick i think him doing that is a [24:33] tribute to how he felt about his win his victory over skull in the time difference so he got over here [24:39] early and it's not a coincidence that he got over here early and he's with one of the best fighters of [24:43] all time alexander usick so that means he's getting some energy from that which is good and [24:49] i think he even went on record himself to say yeah i haven't been training with him i still have my [24:53] teachers but i've got some strength and conditioning work from him so he's picking up things and even [24:58] myself being in i think almost 10 camps with usick you pick up the man energy you pick up the man vibes [25:04] he's all positive he's well structured and he's an organized champion and just kind of like you said [25:08] correcting what he felt didn't go right for him with william skull where he felt like he just didn't put [25:12] himself in the right position in terms of adjusting yes to to the time zone uh like that let's talk [25:17] about just what canelo means to mexico obviously he's he's just a legend in boxing in general but [25:24] how much have you enjoyed following his career as a mexican sergio it really was an honor when [25:28] actually it was 2019 when canelo signed to the zone for a multi-fight deal i was elated i mean when [25:35] he fought rocky fielding it was great but then when he fought daniel jacobs that's when i realized this [25:39] this guy's still willing to fight the absolute best jacobs was a monster he was big he was [25:43] naturally bigger than gennady gilovkin so when he wanted to actually be stay busy fight more than [25:49] twice a year that's when i still realized canelo still has the hunger he still has the intelligence [25:55] he still wants to beat the best in higher weight divisions and look he went on from fighting jacobs [26:00] and switching his style that's the thing that i i i really loved watching this performance the upper [26:05] body movement was to highlight it was a beautiful thing to see you know staying in the pocket and [26:11] backing up the bigger stronger man whom i found out by personally fighting that man how strong daniel [26:18] jacobs was canelo was able to roll with the shots and it was a competitive fight the later it got because [26:24] that's when size started being a factor but canelo's defense and head movement and upper body movement [26:29] got him through what what could you pick out that you've appreciated about watching canelo malik [26:33] uh over the years besides you know his fight with floyd mayweather i love the job that he did on james [26:38] kirkland he really beat him up bad and that was a dangerous james kirkland now we're at the second [26:44] half of his career and to me he's fighting a modern day james kirkland that's what him billy is he's almost [26:49] like a mirror image off of all almost of james kirkland in a way i know james kirkland wasn't that [26:54] square with his feet as in billy is but he has that hunger that young lion energy he's [26:58] punching and bunching and what i love about him the most distant billy guy is he doesn't have an [27:04] identity crisis he know exactly what he want to do he's not going to go in there and try to change [27:08] his game plan up the moment is not going to get to him and to go back to what surgery said i i feel as [27:13] though that canelo is still showing hunger because the hunger is shown in your actual pick of opponents [27:19] he's picking someone that is very very dangerous right now very dangerous but in terms of what you can [27:23] appreciate about how he's able to make adjustments perhaps or adapt his style of boxing to the [27:28] opponent what would you pick out there i would pick calum smith calum smith and i also will go [27:32] with the way he fought another galafkin the second time when he fought calum smith the first time so [27:36] many people when they for calum they used a double triple jab to get in the inside canelo said forget [27:41] all of that i'm gonna beat this big guy arms up he even gave him a ruptured bicep he really zoned in [27:47] on that arm it wasn't by accident and he did that because he had a lot of work he had a lot to work with [27:51] he had a lot of time and that's what a true professional do you could see how he's turning [27:56] his fist yes and you can even hear him in the corner now saying all right okay can you touch [28:03] your returner probably swall yeah yeah yeah he ruptured that bicep and that was done intentionally [28:11] he broke him down and he did all of that to get to the other limbs and the other big shots so that [28:16] like you know he really put his mind to him right there 70 professional fights there's a lot we could [28:20] choose from him but have you got another one that you would pick out well i got a lot but uh i really [28:24] like the way he beat down bj saunders because it was in front of what 70 73 000 people there it was a [28:31] massive event and the way he did it was so slick because bj saunders is a slick southpaw who's normally [28:37] accustomed to using the entire ring canelo made that ring smaller and smaller and once he started [28:42] breaking down it was uppercuts he kept timing uh billy joe saunders where he was going to be not where [28:49] his head was at but where it was going to be and he was timing that and catching him so cleanly [28:53] so it was power it was accuracy and it was that uppercut beautiful shot that broke the over the [28:58] bone of saunders and he couldn't continue not too long after this and he got the whole crowd riled up [29:04] i mean anytime you're dealing with greatness you want to know if the fans want to follow you all [29:08] the way to the end and that's why that's one of his best performances you also mentioned the trilogy [29:13] with uh gennady golovkin what specifically did you like it was the second fight against enough [29:17] because a lot of people i'm sure he heard that well we think triple g won that fight so he went in [29:22] he made some some mental adjustments so the second fight what he did was he said i'm not [29:27] going to go on the back foot like i went on the first fight second fight he went directly at [29:31] and now don't forget he's going at a triple g that was a serious threat at that time so to to [29:36] tell yourself i'm not going to back up i'm going to hold ground he had much more success [29:40] backing gannady up than he did in the first fight when he was fighting good off the back foot but he [29:44] wasn't as effective this fight here you can see he's standing his ground he's not backing up gannady [29:49] is the one backing up even when canelo was not punching he's putting presence pressure on him [29:53] he's doing just enough with his feet to keep his presence in front of gannady and that that really [29:57] paid off for him right there when you're talking about canelo continuing to fight at this age you [30:02] kind of questioned you know how much hunger can you still have 21 years into your pro career i guess i i wonder [30:08] does he do you have more to gain or more to lose at this stage of your career more money to gain but [30:14] more prestige to lose and that's what happens to all time all the greats muhammad ali roberto duran [30:21] you know sugar ray leonard on and on and on they fight a little bit too long because fighters are [30:26] stubborn not only did they get to this point and they're making the most amount of money obscene amount [30:30] of money but they also think they still have a little left to offer that's the ignorance of a great [30:36] fighter and not not that many fighters can really understand that logic understand that thinking [30:42] that's what made them special so who are we you know mere mortals you know to question greatness [30:48] understood well uh the three of us are here in the studio but we do have uh claudia trejos and mike [30:54] coppinger over at the press conference thank you kate we are indeed enjoying a beautiful evening great [31:04] weather and i have great company mike coppinger with me the insider and of course we're expecting a full [31:09] crowd for the welcome of the king saule canelo alvarez this is perhaps the longest layoff he's [31:15] ever had i know you were in his training camp very intense one yeah canelo alvarez i was in spain [31:21] for his training camp in valencia at the gym of alexander the heavyweight champion a few weeks ago [31:25] and he's incredibly hungry even at this stage the loss to terence corporate is still bothering him [31:30] he trained his hard three hours claudia and he's in the best shape of his career i know it's a cliche [31:33] but i really believe that well the truth of the matter is we expect him to be in tip-top shape despite the [31:39] fact he just had surgery yes he did have elbow surgery on his left elbow after that crawford [31:43] fight he told me that really hindered him in that fight of course his best punch is the left hook [31:47] he couldn't throw that with authority he couldn't throw the jab with the same confidence he usually [31:51] does but to me the left hook and the jab looked a lot better in the gym this is definitely going [31:55] to be an interesting test because we might not know much about him billy as a professional [32:00] but we do have his pedigree as an amateur do we expect a good test i expect a great test i mean [32:05] i think christian billy is the perfect opponent both stylistically for canelo to look good but [32:09] also if canelo is indeed near the end i think and billy will expose that he has a great engine he's [32:14] very strong and he's really determined this is his first big big fight on the stage and he wants to [32:18] make a lot of money going forward so they're both trying to make a statement on saturday and that's [32:22] what we're expecting we're getting ready for the press conference people are gathering so we're going [32:26] to go back to you thank you so much from claudia and mike over there in the press conference [32:33] uh so let me tell you what we have coming up for you on the main card obviously canelo alvarez looking [32:38] to get back to world championship status against christian and billy picking up one of those belts [32:43] that he lost to terence crawford uh also on that undercard jaime munguia another world title fight [32:51] he will go against the dangerous russian nikita zon then you have one of the best finishers in boxing [32:57] rafael espinoza who will be fighting a last minute replacement in ricardo blandon and then [33:05] top japanese prospect we're all looking forward to seeing reyto tsutsumi on this card he will be [33:11] tested by raimundo rojas so those all on the pay-per-view element for you do have another five [33:17] fights on the prelims which are available for you free of charge these ones we've got some interesting [33:24] fights on here as well maybe keep an eye out for a young saudi prospect sultan al muhammad who's [33:29] looking to stay undefeated against eric viegas the prelims will start with two unbeaten fighters [33:35] hector aguirre and brian leon mexican versus cuban so that one will be interesting too meanwhile [33:42] let's head back over to the press conference and hear from the undercard fighters but first though [33:48] here's thomas triber ladies and gentlemen welcome to the final press conference for mexico versus the [34:02] world it's world championship boxing this saturday from the venue in riyadh kingdom of saudi arabia [34:13] it is all being brought to you by riyadh season and cella in association with canelo promotions [34:22] with a very special thank you to the kingdom of saudi arabia and the custodian of the two holy mosques [34:31] king salman bin abdul aziz al saoud his royal highness the crown prince muhammad bin salman [34:43] and chairman of the general entertainment authority and president of the saudi boxing federation [34:49] his excellency turkey alishay along with their official premium sponsors sta stc dr suliman elhabib medical [35:04] group and new muraba their official strategic partners saudi a meyer united and check app their official [35:16] main partners desert and arena fitness innovation and their commercial partner prime and don't forget [35:26] ladies and gentlemen you can watch this great event live worldwide exclusively on DAZN by now at DAZN.com [35:41] let's now get things started by welcoming some fighters competing on our undercard this saturday they will [35:49] be competing in a scheduled eight round super middleweight contest we will first welcome a native [35:55] of pinar del rio cuba now fighting out of miami florida he is undefeated with 12 wins nine of his 12 wins [36:04] by knockout here is brian the king leo and we also welcome from sinacan tepec estado de mexico [36:23] mexico undefeated with seven wins three of his seven wins come by way of knockout let's welcome hector el [36:32] diamante aguirre brian you train alongside canelo alvarez and with eddie reynoso what has that [36:48] experience been like brian tu entrenas con canelo y con eddie reynoso como ha sido esta experiencia para [36:53] para ti bueno para mí ha sido una gran experiencia entrenar al lado de gran campeón saúl canelo alvarez [37:00] ya que eso me motiva a mí a tenerlo como ejemplo a mi lado y tenerlo a mi lado en los entrenamientos me hace [37:07] aprender muchas cosas que puedo ir mejorando en mi bolseo en cada pelea it has been an outstanding [37:13] experience to have a champion a trainer at the caliber of eddie reynoso and having them next to [37:17] me it gives me not only motivation but it also helps me get better as i get into deeper into my boxing [37:23] career and of course you are a very talented young fighter this is the biggest opportunity of your [37:28] career fighting here in riyadh on the canelo undercard what are you looking to show the world [37:32] estás aquí en la cartelera de apoyo para la pelea de canelo que estás buscando dejar en claro este [37:37] sábado bueno para mí es una gran oportunidad estar nuevamente aquí en un evento grande como este y para [37:45] mí venir a pelear este sábado es una pelea con un gran peleador un gran rival y para estar presente aquí en esta [37:55] cartelera y demostrar que voy por el buen camino y vengo a dar un gran espectáculo este sábado [38:01] this is a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent and of course to be here under this undercard [38:06] is amazing and i have a great opponent that i am sure i'm going to be able to showcase what i got [38:12] because i'm here to entertain on saturday all right thank you so much brian best of luck and back [38:16] to you claudia gracias thank you mike and here we have hector aguirre hector it's a pleasure to have [38:23] you here how does it feel to be in this undercard que vos se siente estar en esta cartelera de apoyo [38:28] bueno un orgullo estar en respaldo del gran campeón saúl álvarez agradecido y bendecido con [38:35] mi equipo por esta gran oportunidad y orgulloso de estar aquí creo que es el reflejo de tantos [38:41] años de trabajo con mi equipo y con mi familia it's a great honor to be able to be here and to be [38:47] supporting the undercard of canelo alvarez this is a great reflection of my work of many years working [38:53] with my great team it's a blessing to have the type of team that i have and with that being said your [38:59] amateur career is outstanding 14 amateur titles around the world how did that prepare you for [39:06] this evening on saturday son 14 títulos a nivel amateur todo el mundo has parte al participado en [39:12] eventos como te preparo para esta pelea el sábado si afortunadamente tengo más de 200 peleas amateur y [39:19] conocí más de 15 países entonces eso me da la seguridad y la tranquilidad de pelear en cualquier parte del [39:25] mundo entonces más que nada la experiencia estoy listo hice un gran campamento un gran trabajo con [39:30] todo mi equipo un gran rival y espero en una muy buena pelea este sábado i had an expense a [39:36] very expensive amateur career i visited over 15 countries so to be here is nothing different [39:42] for me i have the opportunity to showcase my talent i have a great opponent and i'm here to showcase [39:48] what i'm made and i'm honored to be here and and do a great show on saturday mil gracias thank you [39:53] very much best of luck muchas gracias no se pierdan este 31 octubre sagra mataya [39:59] thank you very much back to you and now we will welcome competing saturday in a scheduled eight [40:06] round super middleweight contest first from timisoara romania his record 24 wins three defeats 12 of his 24 [40:18] wins come by way of knockout here is flavius bia and we also welcome from guadalajara jalisco mexico [40:33] undefeated with 21 wins eight wins come by way of knockout here is emiliano all right here with flavius [40:51] you you had a shoulder injury how is it feeling right now now i'm good with my shoulder i am [40:56] perfect perfect for fight saturday night and of course you had the setback to josh kelly you said [41:02] that you were retiring after the fight but decided to come back why it's one opportunity for me to [41:07] to be here to be juntos de los campeones [41:13] and i feel good here and i want to have a good fight saturday night all right and lastly what are you [41:19] looking to accomplish with a big win on saturday you know my big saturdays i i think he said that [41:27] it's his juventu con me experiencia and will be a good fight and bamonos adelante all right thank you [41:38] so much for obvious and back to you claudia thank you mike we're here with emiliano rojo it's a pleasure [41:43] to have you here and of course you come here undefeated with a great record um and you're a product of [41:50] no boxing no life i mean under the watchful eye of eddie reinoso how does it feel to be able to [41:56] represent that team right here tonight and obviously on saturday bien es con un record formidable llegas [42:01] invicto y obviamente está representando el el ojo muy clínico de alguien como eddie reinoso que se [42:07] siente ser parte de este equipo entrando precisamente para el sábado no pues me siento muy contento muy [42:13] agradecido con dios por la oportunidad que que me está brindando me siento feliz de estar aquí en [42:17] arabia saudita vengo con todo a demostrar el boxeo que se me ha enseñado y vamos a darle este sábado con [42:24] todo i'm very grateful grateful to god i'm very honored to be given this opportunity and i am ready to [42:30] give a great show on saturday and with that being said what do you know about your opponent and what is [42:36] it what kind of statement do you want to make que sabes de tu ponente y qué clase de exclamación vas [42:41] a dejar tú el sábado pues sé que es un rival con experiencia es un rival con con experiencia que [42:46] que pues ya tiene rato en el en el ambiente pero pues estoy listo para eso este sábado así que pues [42:53] para eso me prepare vamos a darle con todo y primeramente dios una victoria para méxico y para mi gente [42:59] well i know that my opponent has experience and he knows a few things but i'm ready for that challenge [43:04] i'm ready to showcase what i have to bring on saturday and to not only bring honor to our [43:10] people here in riyadh but also to everybody that supported you thank you very much much [43:22] our next two fighters competing saturday in a scheduled 10 round light heavyweight contest [43:29] let's first welcome from shim kent kazakhstan undefeated with 16 wins 14 of his 16 wins [43:38] come by way of way of knockout here is the highly ranked nurma gambit and we welcome from tijuana baja [43:51] california mexico his record consists of 21 wins three defeats one draw 10 wins come by way of knockout [44:01] here is marcos el sordo vasquez eddie reynoso your trainer manager has told me many times that you're [44:18] going to be the next great champion from kazakhstan why i don't know but this is my dream i will [44:25] i will try this big star i will working every day training this is uh four great big stars and of course [44:36] i've seen you a lot of times you're a great fighter already but you haven't had the chance to prove [44:40] it yet what fight do you want to get next are you ready for a title shot in your next fight yes i'm [44:46] ready to every fight but first this is fight i need to win and my opponent marcos the strong guy i need to [44:54] win and after uh yes uh my dream championships fight and then my opponent iglesias i think i want [45:05] this is fight all right well i would love to see a fight between you and osei iglesias he's a very [45:09] avoided fighter and so are you thank you again and best of luck on saturday saturday i have the plan [45:16] i will showing smart boxing and we need watching my fight remember my name guys remember the name [45:27] and back to you claudia thank you mike we're here with marcos vasquez and he's ready to take on the ring [45:34] for the first time in riad here on saturday how does that feel i'm very grateful i'm very motivated [45:51] and i'm ready to take on the challenge on saturday with that being said mexico has a lot of talent in [45:56] many weight divisions not many outstanding talent in light heavyweight how much responsibility do you [46:02] carry you know having the mexican flag behind you hay tanto talento en méxico en tantas divisiones [46:07] pero no muchos en los semicompletos cuánto peso trae la bandera mexicana ahora que la vas a representar [46:13] el sábado en esta división así es pues es un es un gran compromiso pero pues para eso estamos aquí [46:19] para por algo estamos aquí este programa nos eligieron estar en esta en esta cartelera y pues vamos a [46:24] entregarlo todo y para que la gente siga para que la gente se salga contenta sobre este evento y que [46:30] esperamos que esperen una gran pelea yeah it's a huge commitment but that's the reason why i'm here [46:36] to make sure that everybody knows that we're here to leave it all on the line and make sure that every [46:40] knows everybody knows we're leaving a great show on saturday so thank you very much muchisimas gracias [46:47] and we will see these gentlemen in the prelims and don't go anywhere because right after this we're going [46:52] to continue with the undercard press conference i don't know if he have the abilities to to handle [47:02] the situation i will see i think maybe now we have his his power he's going down a little bit and [47:11] but he's still dangerous he's still completely but i think twin maybe five five five years ago [47:19] he was different level but now he's a little bit down i think but he's still very very dangerous [47:25] okay you don't agree with that i assume no i don't but you know he's gonna find out not even if i [47:34] have 50 years old he can beat me it's just different level and he he gonna find out this level is way [47:42] different if i have 50 years old 60 you can beat me in this life and you will find that so no matter [47:51] what happened no matter what happened you you you need like 10 like you to beat me we're gonna see [48:00] we're gonna see yeah we're gonna see what do you think the last time you saw him against lester martinez [48:04] were you impressed by him no they take and throw punches like crazy and they are strong of course but [48:14] that's not boxing i think i'm i'm more hungry than him i'm more hungry and i'm come i'm coming down you [48:23] know he's he's number one maybe 10 years and i'm more hungry i think the difference between him [48:32] and me i'm hungry very very hungry that's what people think we'll see be ready it will be amazing [48:41] show you know amazing fight in quebec we say i touched attached that trick so i brought some [48:47] what's that mean in english be ready storm is coming and your message don't worry i'm gonna be there [48:56] i'm gonna be ready do you think he's gonna be ready for you i hope so because he's gonna need [49:04] to be ready ladies and gentlemen this saturday it is mexico versus the world and at this time [49:33] we are going to welcome the undercard fighters representing the world sultan el nino [49:44] al mohammed carl james wonder boy martin to suit suit me ricardo bam blando and nikita zone [50:08] and now we welcome the undercard fighters representing mexico eric viegas david el drede picasso [50:24] diraimundo did i roja rafael el divino espinoza and jaime munguia also welcome trainer eddie redoso [50:54] the ceo of ring magazine mr rick rino it is my honor at this time to hand things over to your host mr richard [51:07] schaefer spectacular setting here in riyadh the kingdom of saudi arabia here we are the final [51:20] press conference from boulevard the entertainment capital here in the kingdom one of the most [51:26] spectacular settings when it comes to entertainment music sports food i have seen anywhere in the world [51:34] and that is the host of our press conference tomorrow's weigh-in and fight night as well but [51:41] be first before we get started i want to acknowledge and thank some people first of all his royal [51:47] highness the crown prince mohammed bin salman and the visionary the man which really single-handedly [52:00] has transformed the sport of boxing has made fights which nobody thought they would happen yes his [52:09] excellency turkey al shake the chairman of the general entertainment authority your excellency [52:17] all of us team canelo are proud to be with you and have you as our friend and then of course the ceo [52:25] of cella cello which has built this spectacular uh boulevard city here with all these entertainment [52:32] opportunities dr rakan thank you dr rakan but i want to thank as well the incredible team dr rakan has [52:44] assembled from cella these are extraordinary people which go the extra mile they have built this here you [52:53] will see on saturday night a stage a build out like you have never seen before these are the people from [53:01] cella thank you very much of course i want to thank as well our promotional team the canelo promotions team [53:10] i want to thank all the managers and fighters who have made it here thank you very much it is mexico [53:18] versus the world and what a lineup it is the team world we have re there are nine fights all nine fighters [53:27] come from different countries so we have nine different countries represented from those nine [53:34] fighters representing team world seven of them are undefeated undefeated so these guys are here to win [53:44] and upset mexico their combined record 152 wins with only nine losses but then you look at team mexico [53:56] this is in all those fights i've done in the past 25 years this is the most impressive lineup of mexican [54:06] fighters ever assembled on a single card look at these names world champions munguia espinoza rojas [54:16] david picasso villegas and the other ones you've heard from before these guys are here to show the world [54:23] why mexico is number one when it comes to boxing 230 wins and only 13 losses it's going to be spectacular [54:34] and you know when mexico fights mexico comes to fight it's the only country in the world think about it [54:43] which has its own boxing style named after them mexican style fighters who are non-mexicans want to fight [54:53] mexican style but these are the real mexicans and watch and see what they are going to do it is a [55:02] pleasure now for me to introduce to you a long time friend of mine i think like 25 years [55:09] he uh single-handedly really changed the way uh boxing news were were consummated and now [55:17] uh he is here as the ceo of the ring uh rick reno but he is really much better known around the world [55:26] by his millions and millions of followers as mr versace himself rick i want to say uh thank you [55:40] richard and thank you to everyone in attendance who came out to support this event i almost have a [55:46] a tear in my eyes i see richard back in the promotional horse i never thought i'd i'd see it but there's been [55:53] a lot of surprises in 2026 and it's good to see richard back up there thank you uh this is a [56:00] spectacular undercard as richard stated you know mexican fighters come to fight and you never see guys [56:08] guys like jaime munguia espinoza rato sultan some of these guys in a bad fight these guys always come [56:16] to give a hundred percent and the one word you could use to sum up this undercard is fireworks i expect [56:24] plenty of fireworks from top to bottom from the very first fight until the big main event with the [56:32] return of canelo alvarez against the very dangerous christian and billy and i look forward to saturday [56:39] and look forward to seeing everyone there thank you thank you thank you rick well i have to admit [56:46] the only reason why i came back to do this because i generally believe that this fight has an opportunity [56:54] to do extremely well on the pay-per-view i have broken many pay-per-view records and these records are [57:01] here to be broken again and we will break them again together with his excellency turkey our shake [57:07] and saul canelo alvarez and that is why i'm here and early indications i can tell you it's doing [57:14] extremely extremely well the whole world is talking about this card the eyeballs non-boxing eyeballs [57:23] general market are all on this fight and it's because of this amazing lineup we have put together [57:30] first up lightweight title in six rounds representing mexico is eric villegas he has five wins and two [57:39] losses and he is fighting a hometown favorite a fighter who is quickly making a name for himself [57:48] sultan al-mohamed from riyadh saudi arabia five and all undefeated fit for knockouts so a quick question to eric [57:59] this is sort of like your rocky moment you are coming into the opponents lions then are you prepared what are you going to do [58:08] eric villegas este es tu momento a la rocky vienes a la cueva de león que esperamos de ti para el sábado [58:18] qué tal muy buenas noches este pues primero que nada pues quiero agradecerles a toda la gente de [58:25] real arabia saudita por ahora sí que por la invitación y la oportunidad de pertenecer en esta gran función [58:31] profesional la verdad me siento bastante contento en esta gran oportunidad que más que nada dios [58:37] me abrió esperamos una gran batalla con un gran rival la verdad de este este estoy emocionado porque [58:46] pues es una gran oportunidad y pues lo que me deja tranquilo es que soy mexicano y pues ahora sí que [58:55] como todo buen mexicano merece y garantiza dar un buen espectáculo [59:01] good night first i would like to thank the people of the kingdom of saudi arabia to be part of this [59:11] amazing card i feel blessed happy for this opportunity sultan is a great opponent i'm excited for this [59:18] opportunity and what comforts me is that i am mexican it's guarantee spectacle for saturday [59:24] thank you sultan um if i understand correctly you are trained uh now with eddie reynoso as well [59:32] you are part of eddie's team how did that go uh what did you work on with eddie it is a great coach [59:40] and uh he's working with me like well he gave me everything i need and that's what i'm looking for [59:46] excellent thank you very much welcome next up is the wbc silver world championship uh the 10 for a [59:57] 10 round featherweight division i'd like to acknowledge as well a very special guest and [1:00:02] longtime friend of mine the president of the wbc is here mauricio suleman thank you mauricio uh he had [1:00:15] this the longest he's been to thousands of fights this is the longest journey to any fight he's [1:00:21] ever done i think it was like 42 hours so we really appreciate that you are here and you're showing [1:00:27] your support thank you mauricio so the wbc silver world championship will be uh fought between uh [1:00:36] representing mexico david el ray picasso from mexico city with 33 wins and one loss 18 knockouts and he is [1:00:48] going to take on carl wonder boy martin from manila who is 28 and 0 with 21 knockouts um first question [1:01:04] is for the wonder boy uh you are one of the most exciting fighters in asia uh you are undefeated [1:01:13] 21 knockouts so what is your strategy for your fight here you're going to go for the knockout again [1:01:20] or what are you looking for what are you expecting yeah you know you know my record is nothing today [1:01:27] i i face picasso i respect him so much but i really came here to win and then what's my team game [1:01:37] plan and i'm ready all all the rounds i want to win uh impressive win thank you david um this is uh your [1:01:50] second time in riad you are one of the most talked about most exciting young fighters from mexico [1:01:57] quickly becoming a star the last time you were here you fought an asian fighter as well now we know we [1:02:05] we knew it the monster uh was a great fight you fought the great fight but uh it didn't go your way [1:02:11] now you're here again fighting another guy from that part of the world who is undefeated as well [1:02:17] so what is your strategy here what are you expecting from the wonder boy david es la segunda [1:02:26] vez que peleas en riyadh se habla mucho de ti eres un joven muy talentoso que va ascendiendo [1:02:32] rápidamente y convirtiéndote en una estrella del boxeo esta es la segunda vez que vas a enfrentar [1:02:37] un peleador asiático y esperamos una gran pelea la primera vez que enfrentaste un peleador asiático la [1:02:44] pelea no no no no te llevaste la victoria otra vez vuelves a enfrentar a uno de esa región invicto [1:02:51] cuál es tu estrategia para el sábado hi everybody thank you for introduce myself mr shiffer thank you mariana [1:03:00] pues primero que nada lo más importante aquí es agradecerle a todo el mundo que está presente el día de [1:03:07] hoy con nosotros agradecer a la empresa por estar aquí con nosotros la oportunidad a canelo álvarez a eddie [1:03:14] afortunadamente me siento muy contento de pertenecer y estoy muy honrado de pertenecer a uno de los mejores [1:03:20] equipos del mundo al mejor equipo del mundo puedo decir y pues con esa responsabilidad subo al ring el [1:03:26] sábado tengo que ganar esa victoria no solamente ganarla sino dominar arriba del ring ganar por knockout y [1:03:33] llevarnos este cinturón a casa para después ir por el nuevo cinturón y volvernos campeones [1:03:39] absolutos en en peso pluma le agradezco mucho a eddie por la oportunidad a canelo sé que jaime divino [1:03:49] ray eric canelo y todo el equipo de mexicanos que venimos aquí el día de hoy vamos a llevarnos la [1:03:55] victoria vamos a demostrarle al mundo de lo que méxico está hecho muchas gracias [1:03:59] first of all i would like to thank everyone here tonight eddie the company the company supporting [1:04:11] us i'm happy and honored to belong to the best team in the world it is a big responsibility that [1:04:16] i'm carrying this saturday with me i not only have to win i have to dominate and i have to ko [1:04:22] this belt is going back to me to mexico and it will help me have a new opportunity to have a title shot [1:04:29] and become a champion eddie canelo divino munguia we're all here ready to show what the world to [1:04:36] show the world what mexico is made of excellent thank you next up is a junior lightweight uh title a [1:04:44] fight for 10 rounds uh it's between uh the mexican raymundo ray rojas [1:04:50] rojas and reido tutsumi from tokyo uh rojas is 16 and 2 with 11 knockouts so a big puncher and reido is [1:05:01] five and all with four knockouts so we have two punchers here so the fireworks will fly uh first [1:05:08] question to rojas you have uh more experience you have almost four times as many fights as your opponent [1:05:16] 70 percent like knockout ratio so uh but at the same time you know that reyto here in south in in [1:05:23] in the kingdom of saudi arabia is a fan favorite he's fought here many times this is like hometown [1:05:30] advantage almost what is your strategy for this fight rojas definitivamente eres el peleador con más [1:05:40] experiencia y más peleas 70% peleas ganadas por knockout pero vas contra reyto reyto es un es un [1:05:50] favorito ha hecho su carrera la mayor parte aquí en arabia saudita cuál es tu estrategia para ganarle [1:05:56] el sábado pues primero que nada pues venimos contentos motivados y pues la estrategia es este ser [1:06:02] más inteligente y más agresivo y pues como todo mexicano no este aprovechar las oportunidades esta [1:06:08] la oportunidad y vamos a aprovecharla tanto yo como todos los mexicanos queremos aquí presentes [1:06:13] i'm very happy very motivated to be here i have to be very smart on saturday and i have to bring [1:06:21] out the mexican style uh i have an i have an opportunity here and i'm going to take it with both hands [1:06:27] excellent thank you uh reyto you are fast becoming a fan favorite uh not only here in the kingdom but [1:06:37] but around the world in japan as well uh very exciting style uh one of the most talked about young fighters and you know you're going in against the better in here with a lot of experience [1:06:49] how have you prepared for this fight and where have you trained [1:06:57] are all mexican on the world and i know you're going to lift that out so you'll see either go anything [1:07:11] They're going to build change [1:07:13] at all [1:07:15] know about the [1:07:18] a [1:07:19] say i [1:07:23] I've been building up my skills, and I've been trying so hard to be stronger. [1:07:30] So I'm very excited for my match on Saturday. [1:07:35] Thank you very much. [1:07:40] So before I'm going to move on to the two world championship fights now, [1:07:46] I want to bring up somebody who has been recognized many times over as the trainer of the year. [1:07:54] He is a manager as well. [1:07:56] He is the manager for some of the most recognized fighters in the world. [1:08:00] He's the manager for the man they call the face of boxing, Canelo Alvarez. [1:08:06] He's somebody who really doesn't need much introduction. [1:08:09] That is Eddie Reynoso. [1:08:11] Some people actually say that this is not really the world against or Mexico against the world. [1:08:18] It's really Eddie Reynoso against the world because he represents eight of the fighters on this card. [1:08:26] Our team Reynoso. [1:08:28] So he's going to be the busiest man on Saturday night. [1:08:31] Eddie. [1:08:32] ¿Qué tal? [1:08:34] Buenas noches a todos los que están aquí presentes. [1:08:37] La verdad nos sentimos muy orgullosos y muy honrados en venir aquí a esta parte del mundo a mostrar el boxeo mexicano. [1:08:46] Nos sentimos realmente contentos. [1:08:48] Ya es la cuarta vez que vengo aquí a Arabia y la verdad la gente siempre se ha comportado muy bonito con nosotros los mexicanos. [1:08:55] Entonces no hay nada que decir que venimos a mostrar el talento mexicano y el sábado México se va a llevar muchos campeones para su tierra. [1:09:05] Muchísimas gracias y pues que disfruten la velada del sábado. [1:09:09] Good night, everyone. [1:09:18] I'm proud and honored to be part of this amazing world card. [1:09:26] It's the fourth time I've been here in Saudi Arabia. [1:09:28] People are warned to all of us Mexicans. [1:09:30] It has been an incredible experience for us to be here and to come back. [1:09:35] We're coming to display what Mexican boxing is. [1:09:37] And we would like that everyone to please enjoy Saturday's show. [1:09:45] Thank you, Mariana. [1:09:47] So, as I mentioned before, [1:09:50] that we'll have three world championship fights on this card. [1:09:54] First one is going to be for the WBO, [1:09:58] Federate World Championship, [1:10:00] held by Rafael El Divino Espinosa, [1:10:03] who will be challenged by Ricardo Blandon. [1:10:09] And Rafael El Divino Espinosa is from Guadalajara, Mexico, [1:10:14] same place like Canelo. [1:10:17] 28 wins, 28 fights, 28 wins, 24 by knockout. [1:10:24] So, he really got it all. [1:10:26] He is one of the best young fighters from Mexico, period. [1:10:30] He has an amazing personality and charisma as well. [1:10:35] I can't say if it doesn't work out for him in boxing, [1:10:38] because I know it does and it will. [1:10:41] But, you know, he could be a mariachi as well. [1:10:44] Those who've heard him last night blew us away. [1:10:48] I mean, what a voice. [1:10:51] He has the punch to go with that voice. [1:10:54] So, he is, as they say, the total package. [1:10:57] And I am personally, as a fight fan, [1:11:01] really excited to watch develop the career of this young fighter. [1:11:06] He has a tremendous personality and loyalty. [1:11:11] And he really, he's going to go places. [1:11:15] But, he's going to have a tough fight against him. [1:11:19] Because when you are hyped like that, [1:11:22] and when you are a world champion, [1:11:24] you have a big target on your back. [1:11:27] And everybody wants what you have. [1:11:29] And that is what Ricardo Blandon wants. [1:11:32] Ricardo Blandon from Nicaragua, [1:11:35] 21-6 with 14 knockouts, 21 wins. [1:11:41] He is here to take what he has, [1:11:44] and he wants to teach him a lesson. [1:11:46] Ricardo, what will be your strategy [1:11:48] to take advantage of this world championship title opportunity? [1:11:53] Ricardo, ¿cuál es tu estrategia, [1:11:58] tu plan de pelea para el sábado, [1:12:00] para llevarte este título mundial? [1:12:02] Buenas noches. [1:12:03] Antes que nada, bendiciones para todos. [1:12:06] Estoy muy contento de estar aquí. [1:12:08] Quiero darle gracias a mi familia, [1:12:11] a Rick, a la familia Reynoso, [1:12:14] por permitirme viajar [1:12:16] hasta este bonito país, [1:12:18] a mi promotor, [1:12:20] al Star Boxing. [1:12:22] Estoy contento que me dieron la oportunidad [1:12:24] de pelear con el Divino Espinosa. [1:12:26] Mi estrategia, [1:12:27] mi estrategia la vamos a ver el sábado. [1:12:29] El sábado en el combate, [1:12:31] espero que lo disfruten. [1:12:32] Estamos listos para ganar el cinturón. [1:12:34] No vine de largo, [1:12:36] solo a pasear. [1:12:37] Buenas noches a todos, [1:12:43] y Dios bendiga a todos aquí. [1:12:45] Estoy muy feliz de estar aquí. [1:12:46] Quiero agradecer y acceder a mi familia, [1:12:48] la Reynoso familia, [1:12:50] por la oportunidad que me ha dado [1:12:52] para tener este título mundial [1:12:54] en este lindo país, [1:12:56] a mi promotor también. [1:12:58] Mi estrategia, [1:12:59] bueno, [1:12:59] lo verás en el martes. [1:13:01] Por favor, [1:13:01] disfruté la lucha, [1:13:02] porque no vine a un viaje. [1:13:05] Gracias. [1:13:06] Gracias. [1:13:10] Rafael, [1:13:13] como dije, [1:13:13] uno de los más carismáticos. [1:13:16] Usted tiene un 85% [1:13:18] knockout ratio. [1:13:20] Un gran relación con Eddy. [1:13:22] Así que, [1:13:23] nos diga un poco [1:13:23] sobre este campamento [1:13:25] con Eddy. [1:13:25] Sé que estabas entrenando [1:13:26] con el equipo en Gandia, [1:13:29] que fue diferente. [1:13:31] ¿Cómo fue? [1:13:32] Y la otra pregunta que tengo es, [1:13:35] ¿quién es tu ídolo de boxeo? [1:13:36] Estaba preguntando sobre eso. [1:13:41] Divino, [1:13:42] díos de tu campamento. [1:13:44] Estuviste en Gandia, [1:13:45] en España, [1:13:45] preparándote arduamente. [1:13:47] ¿Cómo te fue? [1:13:48] Es la primera pregunta. [1:13:50] Y la segunda, [1:13:51] Richard, [1:13:51] quieres saber [1:13:52] quién es tu ídolo boxístico. [1:13:54] Le da mucha curiosidad. [1:13:54] Muchas gracias [1:13:58] por las palabras. [1:14:02] Y, pues, [1:14:03] primero, [1:14:04] quiero decir que [1:14:05] estoy aquí [1:14:06] y es un sueño, [1:14:06] porque [1:14:07] era un sueño [1:14:08] querer pelear aquí en Arabia. [1:14:10] Ahora estoy aquí [1:14:11] y le doy muchas gracias [1:14:12] a todos los que hicieron posible esto. [1:14:15] A mi equipo, [1:14:17] estuvimos en España [1:14:17] con Eddy [1:14:18] y [1:14:19] un campamento fuerte, [1:14:22] concentrado. [1:14:22] Yo nunca había tenido [1:14:23] una concentración. [1:14:24] Siempre había sido [1:14:25] en México, [1:14:26] en mi casa. [1:14:28] Y ahora salirme [1:14:29] a España [1:14:30] a concentrarme [1:14:32] al 100%. [1:14:32] Creo que [1:14:34] esta noche [1:14:35] van a ver [1:14:35] las diferencias [1:14:37] que pude tomar, [1:14:39] lo bueno [1:14:40] que pude aprender. [1:14:42] Y estoy muy contento. [1:14:43] Estoy muy contento. [1:14:45] Y para responderte [1:14:46] la pregunta [1:14:48] del boxeador, [1:14:49] nadie lo conoce, [1:14:51] nadie lo conoció [1:14:52] porque fue mi abuelo [1:14:55] y él es. [1:14:58] Mi gran padre [1:14:59] es mi... [1:15:00] Nice. [1:15:01] Mi boxeador. [1:15:02] Nice. [1:15:03] Beautiful. [1:15:04] Thank you. [1:15:04] Thank you for your kind words, [1:15:11] Richard. [1:15:11] First of all, [1:15:13] it is a dream. [1:15:14] It is a dream [1:15:14] to fight here [1:15:15] in the kingdom [1:15:15] of Saudi Arabia [1:15:16] for me. [1:15:17] Thank you to everyone [1:15:18] who made this possible. [1:15:20] Yes, [1:15:21] as you said, [1:15:22] I was in Spain [1:15:22] doing my training camp [1:15:24] along Eddy [1:15:24] and the team. [1:15:25] I never had a camp [1:15:26] like this before. [1:15:27] I was fully focused [1:15:28] and 100% into this. [1:15:32] Saturday, [1:15:32] I will show everyone [1:15:33] what I learned [1:15:34] during this time. [1:15:35] And to answer to you [1:15:36] about who is my idol, [1:15:38] no one really knew him, [1:15:39] but it was my granddad. [1:15:42] Nice. [1:15:42] Thank you. [1:15:44] And then, [1:15:47] we come to the fight [1:15:48] which will be on [1:15:49] right before [1:15:50] Ganelo and Mbili [1:15:52] will walk to the ring [1:15:54] and that will be [1:15:55] the WBA [1:15:56] Super Middleweight [1:15:57] World Championship [1:15:58] between the defending [1:16:00] and reigning [1:16:01] WBA Super Middleweight [1:16:04] World Champion [1:16:04] Jaime Munguia [1:16:06] from Tijuana, [1:16:07] Mexico [1:16:07] against Nikita Son [1:16:10] from Krasnoyarsk, [1:16:15] Siberia. [1:16:17] I watched some [1:16:18] of Nikita Son's fights. [1:16:20] He's 12-0, [1:16:22] never lost, [1:16:23] undefeated, [1:16:24] 10 knockouts, [1:16:26] big puncher. [1:16:27] I watched some [1:16:28] of his fights. [1:16:29] He has strong, [1:16:31] incredible power, [1:16:34] as obviously [1:16:35] 10 knockouts show. [1:16:37] I call him actually [1:16:39] the new Siberian Rocky [1:16:40] because this is [1:16:42] his opportunity [1:16:43] to go and fight [1:16:46] and win a world title [1:16:47] against one of the best, [1:16:50] most recognized fighters [1:16:52] in Mexico [1:16:53] and the world [1:16:54] with Jaime Munguia. [1:16:56] Nikita, [1:16:57] what is your strategy? [1:16:59] What will you do [1:17:00] to take advantage [1:17:01] of this opportunity? [1:17:03] Nikita, [1:17:05] I think [1:17:06] many of you [1:17:08] in the fight. [1:17:10] You have a very strong [1:17:11] attack. [1:17:12] After 19 [1:17:13] fights, [1:17:14] you have a chance [1:17:15] to get the title. [1:17:16] I want to know [1:17:17] what is your strategy [1:17:18] for the weekend. [1:17:21] First, [1:17:22] I would like to say [1:17:23] As-salamu alaykum. [1:17:31] I would like to say [1:17:31] I would like to thank you [1:17:32] to his beloved [1:17:34] Turkey [1:17:34] Al-Sheikh [1:17:35] and to all [1:17:36] the organizers [1:17:37] and to all [1:17:38] the members of Saudi Arabia. [1:17:42] I would like to thank you [1:17:43] to be on such a great [1:17:44] event, [1:17:46] to be in the center [1:17:48] of the world [1:17:49] because I understand [1:17:52] how difficult [1:17:53] to organize [1:17:54] in such a [1:17:54] simple time [1:17:55] such a grandiose [1:17:57] tournament. [1:17:58] And, [1:17:58] back to the question, [1:17:59] I would like to answer [1:18:00] that I came here [1:18:01] only to win. [1:18:03] I need only to win. [1:18:05] And I think [1:18:06] that the game [1:18:07] is very convincing, [1:18:08] very beautiful. [1:18:09] It's possible [1:18:10] to be in the end. [1:18:12] And, [1:18:12] in general, [1:18:17] I hope [1:18:18] I'll be a new [1:18:18] champion of the world. [1:18:19] Thank you to everyone [1:18:25] present. [1:18:26] I would like to thank [1:18:27] Your Excellency [1:18:28] Turkey Al-Sheikh, [1:18:29] Canelo Promotions [1:18:30] and all the companies [1:18:30] involved. [1:18:31] It's amazing [1:18:32] to be here [1:18:33] in this part of the world [1:18:34] and have the opportunity [1:18:35] that I will have [1:18:35] on Saturday. [1:18:37] I want to win in style [1:18:39] and convincingly. [1:18:41] I came here to win [1:18:42] and I'm living [1:18:43] with nothing less [1:18:44] than a victory. [1:18:44] I will become [1:18:45] the new world champion. [1:18:47] Thank you. [1:18:52] Jaime, [1:18:52] you are a Mexican superstar. [1:18:56] And when you are [1:18:56] a superstar [1:18:57] and you fight somebody [1:18:59] with 12 fights, [1:19:01] it's easy [1:19:01] to sometimes [1:19:02] underestimate [1:19:03] the opponent. [1:19:05] Are you prepared [1:19:06] to face [1:19:08] what the Siberian [1:19:10] Rocky [1:19:10] is going to bring [1:19:11] to the ring? [1:19:13] How did your training camp [1:19:14] come go? [1:19:15] Are you ready? [1:19:16] Well, [1:19:18] good night [1:19:18] to all. [1:19:19] The truth is [1:19:20] that we are ready. [1:19:21] The truth is [1:19:22] that it was a great [1:19:23] campamento [1:19:24] thanks to Eddie [1:19:25] thanks to all the team [1:19:27] for preparing us [1:19:28] strong. [1:19:29] And the truth is [1:19:30] that we are ready. [1:19:30] We are ready. [1:19:31] We are ready. [1:19:31] We are ready. [1:19:31] We are ready. [1:19:32] I think we did a great [1:19:34] preparation. [1:19:34] We are going to do a great [1:19:36] fight. [1:19:37] We are going to see [1:19:37] the best version [1:19:38] of Jaime Munguia. [1:19:40] Thank you to Arabia Saudita [1:19:42] for receiving us [1:19:44] and for being so [1:19:45] friendly with us. [1:19:46] Thank you. [1:19:47] And, well, [1:19:48] live Arabia Saudita. [1:19:49] I can just say [1:19:56] that I'm ready. [1:19:57] I had a great [1:19:58] camp along Eddie. [1:19:59] We prepared strongly. [1:20:00] It was an amazing [1:20:01] camp. [1:20:02] It will be a great fight. [1:20:04] You will see [1:20:04] the best version [1:20:05] of Jaime Munguia. [1:20:07] I want to thank [1:20:08] and acknowledge [1:20:08] the kindness [1:20:09] and the warmth [1:20:10] of all the people [1:20:11] of the Kingdom [1:20:11] of Saudi Arabia [1:20:12] when they host us. [1:20:14] And, [1:20:14] viva Saudi Arabia. [1:20:16] Yes. [1:20:17] Viva Saudi Arabia. [1:20:18] That is the perfect [1:20:20] ending [1:20:20] to this [1:20:22] press conference. [1:20:24] We'll be back [1:20:25] with [1:20:25] Canelo [1:20:26] and Mbili. [1:20:27] So, [1:20:28] in the meantime, [1:20:29] what we're going to do, [1:20:30] maybe we'll have [1:20:31] all fighters [1:20:32] go to the front [1:20:33] and so we can take [1:20:34] a shot [1:20:35] with all the [1:20:35] undercard fighters [1:20:36] on the card. [1:20:37] If I may please [1:20:38] ask you guys [1:20:39] to go here. [1:20:40] Thank you. [1:20:47] Okay, everybody. [1:20:47] So, that was the [1:20:48] undercard press conference. [1:20:50] We're now going to have [1:20:50] the stage reset [1:20:52] and bring out [1:20:53] Canelo Alvarez [1:20:53] and Cristian Mbili [1:20:54] for the main event [1:20:55] press conference. [1:20:57] Before we do get to that, [1:20:58] just a reminder for you [1:20:59] that the boxing conversation [1:21:00] is ongoing [1:21:01] here on DAZN. [1:21:02] There is another edition [1:21:03] of Inside the Ring [1:21:04] which is coming up [1:21:05] very shortly today. [1:21:06] Here's the host, [1:21:07] Mario Lopez, [1:21:07] with more. [1:21:11] Hey, everyone. [1:21:12] Mario Lopez here. [1:21:13] Keep it locked [1:21:14] after the Canelo Alvarez, [1:21:15] Cristian Mbili press conference [1:21:16] for a brand new episode [1:21:18] of Inside the Ring. [1:21:19] I'm going to be joined [1:21:20] by two Ring Magazine [1:21:21] junior lightweight champions, [1:21:22] Oshaki Foster [1:21:23] and Alicia Baumgartner, [1:21:25] plus Desert Storm [1:21:26] and Tim Bradley [1:21:27] back at the desk [1:21:28] and Chris Mannix [1:21:29] makes his [1:21:30] Inside the Ring debut. [1:21:31] We've got a lot [1:21:31] to break down, [1:21:32] a few surprises [1:21:33] and a whole lot [1:21:34] of fun in store. [1:21:35] Inside the Ring [1:21:35] is coming up next, [1:21:37] so stay locked in. [1:21:40] Yes, the Halloween edition [1:21:41] of Inside the Ring [1:21:42] is coming up for you. [1:21:43] So, welcome back [1:21:43] into the studio. [1:21:44] Kate, Sergio, [1:21:46] and Malik [1:21:46] here with you. [1:21:47] Obviously, we just saw [1:21:48] the undercard press conference [1:21:49] wrap up. [1:21:51] Jaime Munguia [1:21:52] defending his WBA [1:21:53] super middleweight title [1:21:54] in that one. [1:21:55] How much credit [1:21:55] do we give him [1:21:56] for rebuilding his career [1:21:57] to this point, [1:21:57] becoming a world champion [1:21:58] again, Sergio? [1:21:59] Well, for a long time, [1:22:00] they were actually [1:22:01] being careful [1:22:01] with Jaime Munguia. [1:22:03] You know, [1:22:03] ever since he won [1:22:04] the 154-pound title, [1:22:06] they gave him [1:22:06] the right opponents. [1:22:07] You know, [1:22:08] they matched them up [1:22:09] really properly. [1:22:10] So, they did a great job. [1:22:11] They did an incredible job [1:22:13] getting Jaime Munguia [1:22:14] to another world title [1:22:15] at super middleweight, [1:22:17] you know, [1:22:17] jumping middleweight [1:22:18] and really doing [1:22:19] something great there. [1:22:19] But they still got [1:22:20] to be careful with him. [1:22:21] He's been knocked out once. [1:22:22] He doesn't fight [1:22:23] as aggressive [1:22:23] as he normally does. [1:22:25] And at 168, [1:22:26] the bigger punchers [1:22:27] are going to be there. [1:22:27] But for him to be [1:22:28] a titleist at 168 [1:22:30] says a lot. [1:22:31] Are we seeing [1:22:32] his development [1:22:32] now that he's working [1:22:33] with Eddie Reynoso? [1:22:34] I know it's been [1:22:34] a couple of camps [1:22:35] now with Eddie Reynoso, [1:22:35] but are we seeing [1:22:36] any of that kind [1:22:37] of improvement? [1:22:38] Is he becoming [1:22:38] more of a complete [1:22:39] fighter maybe? [1:22:40] Yeah, I can see [1:22:41] flashes of it at times. [1:22:42] I think he is [1:22:43] who he is, [1:22:44] especially when it comes [1:22:44] to getting hit [1:22:45] and wanting to get [1:22:46] the hit right back. [1:22:47] I think he's [1:22:48] very open a lot [1:22:49] when he goes in [1:22:50] for offense, [1:22:51] especially after he punch. [1:22:52] He's usually right there [1:22:53] on the receiving end [1:22:54] as well. [1:22:54] I don't think [1:22:55] that has changed much, [1:22:56] but I do think [1:22:57] his punch selection [1:22:58] have changed. [1:22:58] I do think his decision [1:23:00] making have changed [1:23:00] a bit. [1:23:01] But I think [1:23:01] when it all comes down [1:23:03] to he is who he is, [1:23:04] if you hit Munguia, [1:23:04] he's going to want [1:23:05] to hit you back, [1:23:06] especially on the [1:23:06] second half of the fight. [1:23:08] His discipline really [1:23:09] goes out the window. [1:23:10] Kate, you speak Spanish. [1:23:11] My mom has a saying, [1:23:14] dime con quien andas [1:23:15] y te digo quien eres. [1:23:16] That's what Jaime Munguia is. [1:23:17] Whoever he's around, [1:23:18] that's who he's going to be. [1:23:19] So I don't think [1:23:19] he's going to change much. [1:23:20] Right. [1:23:20] I mean, [1:23:21] he is who he is. [1:23:22] Once he gets hit, [1:23:23] the Mexican bravado [1:23:23] and style comes up. [1:23:24] Don't make good strong. [1:23:25] Your wife understands. [1:23:29] So as we wait [1:23:30] for Cristian Munguia [1:23:31] and Canelo Alvarez [1:23:31] to take their place [1:23:33] at the top table [1:23:34] for their portion [1:23:35] of the press conference, [1:23:37] I guess one of the [1:23:38] kind of the question marks [1:23:38] maybe around Cristian Munguia [1:23:40] is that this is [1:23:41] the size of an event, [1:23:43] the type of an event [1:23:44] that he hasn't yet been in. [1:23:45] Yes, [1:23:46] he's been in big fights, [1:23:46] but he hasn't been [1:23:47] up against a Canelo Alvarez. [1:23:49] I know he's been on, [1:23:50] you know, [1:23:50] the Netflix, [1:23:51] the big stages [1:23:51] in the Canelo Alvarez [1:23:53] versus Terrence Crawford fight. [1:23:54] But do you think [1:23:54] part of the question here [1:23:55] is not just how does he [1:23:56] deal with Canelo, [1:23:56] but also how does he [1:23:57] deal with the moment? [1:23:59] Yeah, [1:23:59] actually, [1:24:00] because the first big moment [1:24:01] he had, [1:24:02] he got a draw [1:24:02] with Lester Martinez. [1:24:04] And before that, [1:24:05] he went the distance [1:24:06] with, you know, [1:24:07] guys in their mid-30s [1:24:08] like Derevonchenko. [1:24:10] And whenever you're [1:24:11] fighting old road warriors [1:24:12] and gatekeepers [1:24:13] like Derevonchenko [1:24:14] and others [1:24:15] and you go the distance [1:24:16] with them, [1:24:17] it's not a good look. [1:24:18] It's kind of a red flag [1:24:19] on the biggest possible [1:24:21] championship level [1:24:22] like Canelo. [1:24:23] So, you know, [1:24:25] that's why Canelo's [1:24:25] a favorite in this fight [1:24:26] because, [1:24:27] and Billy, [1:24:28] as strong as he is, [1:24:30] as big as he is, [1:24:31] as much volume of punches [1:24:32] as he throws, [1:24:33] it ain't going to be volume [1:24:34] that's really going to get him. [1:24:35] It's accuracy. [1:24:36] It's championship experience. [1:24:37] It's how are you [1:24:38] going to take a shot? [1:24:39] Muscles don't win fights [1:24:41] and there's definitely [1:24:41] no muscles in the chin. [1:24:42] Derevonchenko [1:24:43] was disengaging [1:24:44] the whole fight though. [1:24:45] He was moving. [1:24:46] I think what's the difference [1:24:48] between Derevonchenko [1:24:49] and anybody fighting? [1:24:51] He was a little bit more there, [1:24:52] but he was like, [1:24:52] really, [1:24:53] they didn't really want [1:24:54] that smoke hot Canelo was. [1:24:55] Canelo was going to be [1:24:56] in his face [1:24:57] and I believe that's going [1:24:58] to play the part [1:24:59] in Billy to be successful. [1:25:01] Is what will work [1:25:01] for Canelo in this fight [1:25:02] that the fact that [1:25:03] Christian and Billy [1:25:04] will be coming forward [1:25:05] and that gives Canelo [1:25:06] those opportunities [1:25:06] to tie him? [1:25:07] It works for both of them. [1:25:07] It works for both of them. [1:25:08] I think neither one of them [1:25:09] do well. [1:25:10] If you see how [1:25:11] and Billy was boxing [1:25:12] against Murdoch, [1:25:12] when Murdoch started boxing, [1:25:14] it took him time, [1:25:15] like extra time [1:25:16] to get to him [1:25:16] and we all know [1:25:17] Canelo don't like [1:25:18] to deal with movers [1:25:19] so that's why him [1:25:20] fighting and Billy [1:25:20] on his first fight back [1:25:21] can make all the sense [1:25:22] in the world, [1:25:22] stylistically wise. [1:25:23] But it reminds me [1:25:24] of in 1986 [1:25:25] when Marvin Hagler [1:25:26] fought John the Beast Mugabe. [1:25:28] They clashed [1:25:29] right off the rip. [1:25:30] I believe that Canelo [1:25:31] is the Marvin Hagler [1:25:32] in this and John the Beast [1:25:34] Mugabe is in Billy. [1:25:35] That was a very [1:25:36] physical fight. [1:25:38] Very physical fight. [1:25:39] And that's a fight [1:25:39] where Sugar Ray Leno [1:25:40] was licking his lips [1:25:41] watching outside [1:25:42] saying I know [1:25:44] I can outbox [1:25:44] one of these guys [1:25:45] because they went [1:25:46] to war so much. [1:25:47] So I'll be licking [1:25:48] my lips if I'm Canelo [1:25:48] as well because Canelo [1:25:49] can box. [1:25:51] Do you think we get [1:25:51] that kind of a physical fight? [1:25:52] No. [1:25:53] I think at this point [1:25:54] Canelo doesn't want [1:25:55] to get in those [1:25:55] physical fights. [1:25:56] I think he's going [1:25:57] to let Mbili [1:25:58] fight his fight [1:25:59] and make his mistakes. [1:26:01] He squares up [1:26:01] and he's open [1:26:02] for uppercuts. [1:26:03] And I think Canelo [1:26:04] has mastered the uppercut [1:26:06] just like he knocked out [1:26:07] B.J. Saunders. [1:26:08] Like he's knocked out [1:26:09] plenty of fighters [1:26:10] or he sets them up [1:26:11] for the knockout. [1:26:11] It's catching counters [1:26:12] whenever you're dealing [1:26:13] with that aggression. [1:26:14] Yeah. [1:26:15] I totally agree with that [1:26:16] especially with the uppercut. [1:26:17] That's Mbili [1:26:18] Achilles heel right there. [1:26:20] His head is right there. [1:26:21] His chin is over [1:26:22] his front knee at times. [1:26:23] But I'm so interested [1:26:24] in this fight [1:26:25] just to see [1:26:26] if the same volume [1:26:27] that he has [1:26:28] on a good night [1:26:28] if he could put this [1:26:29] on Canelo [1:26:29] a second half [1:26:30] career Canelo [1:26:31] then I would be [1:26:32] on the train [1:26:33] with Sergio [1:26:33] basically saying [1:26:34] why is he fighting? [1:26:35] But Serge is saying [1:26:36] that while it's [1:26:37] basically Canelo [1:26:37] fighting now [1:26:38] as if Canelo [1:26:38] is taking beatings. [1:26:40] It's not like [1:26:40] he's looking like [1:26:41] Muhammad Ali [1:26:41] looked against Larry Holmes. [1:26:43] No one is feeling [1:26:43] sorry when Canelo [1:26:44] is fighting [1:26:45] because he's still [1:26:45] dangerous of some sort. [1:26:47] Not how he was [1:26:47] at the beginning [1:26:48] but he's still [1:26:49] he's a second half [1:26:50] career dangerous [1:26:50] type of Canelo [1:26:51] right now. [1:26:52] Is that accurate? [1:26:53] Do you wonder [1:26:53] why he's still fighting? [1:26:54] As in do you [1:26:55] watch him and think? [1:26:57] No because he hasn't [1:26:58] got knocked out. [1:26:59] He still hasn't [1:27:00] even been knocked down [1:27:01] in almost 70 fights. [1:27:03] So what are we [1:27:04] actually going to be [1:27:04] doubting? [1:27:05] When he haven't lost [1:27:06] he hasn't been knocked down. [1:27:07] He doesn't really get hurt. [1:27:08] You know he doesn't wobble. [1:27:10] He's not against the ropes [1:27:11] like an Ali [1:27:11] or a late Sugar Ray Lander [1:27:12] or a late Roberto Duran [1:27:13] or a late great. [1:27:15] You know he's a [1:27:16] he's at the age [1:27:18] where he's going to start [1:27:19] you know looking bad [1:27:20] because he's on the back nine. [1:27:21] We all get old [1:27:23] but he's still making [1:27:24] the biggest money. [1:27:25] He's still one of the [1:27:25] biggest attractions. [1:27:27] He's still the guy [1:27:28] that people want to watch [1:27:29] and that's why we're all here. [1:27:30] That's why Serge [1:27:31] he said he questioned the hunger [1:27:32] not anything else. [1:27:34] That's why I agree with you [1:27:35] and I can see why [1:27:36] you question the hunger [1:27:37] because it's like [1:27:37] what are you hungry for? [1:27:39] You got everything [1:27:40] but when you got an opponent [1:27:41] in front of you [1:27:42] like in Billy [1:27:42] I think you have no choice [1:27:44] but to be hungry [1:27:44] because you got to [1:27:45] protect yourself. [1:27:47] I guess one of the things [1:27:47] that's interesting to me [1:27:48] is you know [1:27:49] there's always this conversation [1:27:50] it feels like around Canelo [1:27:51] is where does he fit [1:27:53] amongst the greats [1:27:54] in terms of all the [1:27:55] Mexican fighters [1:27:56] that we know and love [1:27:57] that have made history [1:27:57] in boxing. [1:27:59] Achievement wise [1:28:00] you could make arguments [1:28:01] for why he should be [1:28:02] number one maybe [1:28:03] but there are also [1:28:04] other arguments you could make [1:28:05] about why he's not. [1:28:06] Where do you see him [1:28:07] as fitting [1:28:08] kind of in the pantheon [1:28:09] of Mexican greats? [1:28:10] I know you're going to [1:28:11] set me up with that question. [1:28:12] That's a loaded question [1:28:13] kid as the only Mexican here [1:28:14] but I'm going to keep it real. [1:28:16] I don't put Canelo [1:28:18] in the top three [1:28:19] or the top four [1:28:20] maybe the top five [1:28:22] because when you're dealing [1:28:23] up all time greatness [1:28:24] it's not just the fighting ability. [1:28:26] I'm talking about Chavez, [1:28:27] Salvador Sanchez, [1:28:28] Ruben Olivares, [1:28:29] Carlos Zarate. [1:28:30] I can go on and on and on [1:28:31] and that's not even mentioning [1:28:32] my favorite fighters [1:28:33] Marquez, Barrera, Morales. [1:28:36] Canelo is somewhere [1:28:37] between five and seven [1:28:39] but as far as popularity, [1:28:41] as far as money generated, [1:28:43] as far as pay-per-view sold, [1:28:44] as far as marketing deals, [1:28:46] as far as who's going to be [1:28:47] remembered in longevity, [1:28:49] then we could talk about Canelo [1:28:51] because Canelo broke barriers [1:28:52] for a lot of boxers [1:28:54] and Mexicans [1:28:56] but as far as all-time greatness [1:28:57] where you carry that great country [1:29:00] on your shoulders [1:29:01] and that country supports you [1:29:02] all the way, [1:29:04] there's only one [1:29:04] gran campeón mexicano [1:29:06] that Julio Cesar Chavez. [1:29:09] Okay, I think we're ready then [1:29:10] for the main event press conference [1:29:12] so let's send you back over [1:29:13] to the press conference arena [1:29:16] and to Michael Buffer. [1:29:21] Ladies and gentlemen, [1:29:23] good evening and welcome [1:29:24] to the final press conference [1:29:26] for Mexico vs. the World, [1:29:30] an evening of world-class [1:29:32] and world championship boxing [1:29:33] for your entertainment [1:29:35] and it's all here at the venue [1:29:38] in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1:29:43] And that's right. [1:29:45] And it's all brought to us [1:29:46] by Riyadh Season and Sela [1:29:48] in association with Canelo Promotions. [1:29:53] A special thanks as always, [1:29:54] ladies and gentlemen, [1:29:55] to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [1:29:57] and to the custodian [1:29:59] of the two holy mosques, [1:30:01] King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. [1:30:04] The Crown Prince, [1:30:07] His Royal Highness [1:30:08] Mohammed bin Salman [1:30:10] and the, pardon me, [1:30:15] and the Chairman [1:30:15] of the General Entertainment Authority [1:30:17] and President [1:30:17] of the Saudi Boxing Federation, [1:30:21] His Excellency, [1:30:22] Turkey Al-Ashaid. [1:30:27] Well, ladies and gentlemen, [1:30:28] we have some great sponsors [1:30:30] for helping us to present this event [1:30:32] and our official premium sponsor, [1:30:35] STA and STC, [1:30:37] along with Dr. Suleiman Al-Habib Medical Group, [1:30:42] along with New Maraba, [1:30:44] our official strategic partners, [1:30:48] Saudia, [1:30:48] Mayer United and Czech app. [1:30:52] Our official main partners are [1:30:54] Dessert and Arena Fitness Innovation, [1:30:58] and our commercial partner is Prime. [1:31:02] So, ladies and gentlemen, [1:31:03] a reminder, [1:31:03] it's all broadcast live and worldwide, [1:31:07] exclusively on DAZN, [1:31:09] D-A-Z-N, DAZN, [1:31:13] and go to DAZN.com to buy this great event. [1:31:16] So, ladies and gentlemen, [1:31:18] the main event of the evening [1:31:19] on Saturday night, [1:31:21] 12 rounds of boxing [1:31:23] for the WBC [1:31:25] Super Middleweight Championship [1:31:28] of the World. [1:31:30] At this time, [1:31:31] let's meet the fighters. [1:31:33] Introducing first, [1:31:34] born in Cameroon, [1:31:36] raised in France, [1:31:37] now living, training, [1:31:38] and fighting [1:31:39] out of Montreal, [1:31:41] Quebec, Canada. [1:31:42] He's a 2016 Olympian [1:31:45] for the nation of France. [1:31:47] And now with an outstanding [1:31:48] professional record, [1:31:50] 30 fights, [1:31:52] 29 victories, [1:31:53] 24 of his wins [1:31:55] come by knockout. [1:31:57] He has one draw. [1:31:58] It's all without any losses. [1:32:00] Ladies and gentlemen, [1:32:02] he's recognized [1:32:02] as one of the best [1:32:05] in the middle, [1:32:05] in the Super Middleweight Division [1:32:07] by the Ring Magazine. [1:32:08] He is the reigning, [1:32:10] defending, [1:32:12] undefeated WBC [1:32:13] Super Middleweight Champion [1:32:16] of the World, [1:32:17] Mesdames et Messieurs, [1:32:18] Le Championant du Monde, [1:32:20] Christian Solé. [1:32:22] Let's meet his opponent, [1:32:46] ranked number one [1:32:47] in his division [1:32:47] by Ring Magazine. [1:32:49] And he is, [1:32:50] in his career, [1:32:52] with a professional record [1:32:54] of 63 victories, [1:32:57] 39 wins by knockout, [1:32:58] three defeats, [1:33:00] two draws. [1:33:01] He's captured [1:33:02] 16 world title belts [1:33:05] in his career [1:33:06] in four divisions. [1:33:08] And he is a future [1:33:10] first ballot [1:33:11] Hall of Famer. [1:33:12] Ladies and gentlemen, [1:33:14] by the way, [1:33:15] four times [1:33:15] undisputed world champion. [1:33:18] He's recognized [1:33:19] as the greatest [1:33:21] Mexican warrior [1:33:22] of his generation. [1:33:24] Damas y Caballeros [1:33:25] de la Guadalajara, [1:33:27] Jalisco, Mexico. [1:33:28] He is [1:33:30] Santos Saúl Canelo. [1:33:34] And at this time, [1:33:47] let me introduce [1:33:48] the host [1:33:48] for this press conference, [1:33:49] someone I've known [1:33:50] for over 30 years. [1:33:52] He is the CEO [1:33:53] of Canelo Promotions, [1:33:55] Mr. Richard Schaefer. [1:33:57] There we are, [1:34:03] the moment [1:34:04] we've been all waiting for. [1:34:06] The world has been [1:34:07] talking about this event. [1:34:09] All the press, [1:34:10] all the eyes [1:34:11] are on us. [1:34:12] And here we are, [1:34:13] here we are [1:34:14] to deliver [1:34:14] the biggest fight [1:34:16] of the year again. [1:34:17] And where is it? [1:34:18] It's in the capital [1:34:19] of boxing, [1:34:21] Riyadh, [1:34:21] Saudi Arabia. [1:34:23] So I want to thank you [1:34:24] all for being here, [1:34:26] for supporting this event. [1:34:27] Thank you. [1:34:28] First of all, [1:34:31] I want to thank [1:34:32] His Royal Highness, [1:34:33] the Crown Prince, [1:34:34] Mohammed bin Salman [1:34:36] bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. [1:34:38] I want to thank [1:34:43] His Excellency, [1:34:44] Turkey Al Sheikh, [1:34:46] the chairman [1:34:46] of the General [1:34:47] Entertainment Authority, [1:34:49] and really the man [1:34:50] who single-handedly [1:34:51] has transformed boxing [1:34:53] and elevated it [1:34:55] to what it is today. [1:34:57] And then, of course, [1:34:59] the man [1:34:59] who helped build [1:35:01] this beautiful [1:35:02] boulevard city [1:35:03] and all these other [1:35:04] entertainment facilities [1:35:05] and so on, [1:35:06] and that is the CEO [1:35:07] of SELA, [1:35:09] Dr. Rakan. [1:35:10] Thank you. [1:35:14] As I mentioned before, [1:35:15] a special thank [1:35:16] to all the fighters, [1:35:18] the fighters [1:35:18] who have made it here, [1:35:20] their camps, [1:35:21] and all the working staff [1:35:22] and everyone here. [1:35:24] And I want to thank [1:35:24] all of Saudi Arabia [1:35:26] for always welcoming us here. [1:35:29] We feel at home. [1:35:31] We feel at home [1:35:32] and safe [1:35:33] here in Saudi Arabia. [1:35:37] Canelo, [1:35:37] Canelo always fights [1:35:39] for Mexico. [1:35:41] That's Mexican pride. [1:35:42] He fights for his fight fans. [1:35:44] But this fight here [1:35:46] is special. [1:35:47] It's as well dedicated [1:35:49] to His Royal Highness, [1:35:51] the Crown Prince, [1:35:52] His Excellency, [1:35:53] the beautiful country [1:35:54] of the Kingdom [1:35:56] of Saudi Arabia [1:35:57] and its most amazing people. [1:36:00] Your kindness [1:36:01] and hospitality [1:36:02] is unparalleled. [1:36:05] Now, look at this card. [1:36:07] Mexico versus the world. [1:36:08] What a lineup. [1:36:10] One of the best cards, [1:36:11] top to bottom, [1:36:12] I have ever promoted [1:36:14] and I have ever been able [1:36:15] to put together. [1:36:17] And the results, [1:36:18] they speak for themselves. [1:36:20] As I had mentioned before, [1:36:22] this pay-per-view [1:36:23] in its early stage [1:36:25] is doing extremely well. [1:36:27] There is a worldwide attention [1:36:29] from France, [1:36:31] unparalleled bias, [1:36:32] in England, [1:36:33] in America, [1:36:34] in Mexico, [1:36:35] all around the world. [1:36:37] This pay-per-view [1:36:38] has an opportunity [1:36:39] to break records. [1:36:42] Am I surprised? [1:36:43] No. [1:36:44] Because you know why? [1:36:45] Because we have [1:36:46] the face of boxing [1:36:47] right here. [1:36:48] Every time when he fights, [1:36:50] it's not just a fight. [1:36:52] It's not just [1:36:53] the Super Bowl of boxing. [1:36:55] It is a global spectacle. [1:36:58] He is loved [1:36:59] from all around the world. [1:37:01] That's why his events [1:37:03] are much more than that. [1:37:06] I'd like to bring up now [1:37:08] somebody who I've known [1:37:09] for a long time. [1:37:11] He is known as the CEO [1:37:13] of The Ring magazine. [1:37:15] I've known him [1:37:16] for like 25 years or so. [1:37:18] But to his millions of fans, [1:37:21] he is known [1:37:21] not as Rick Reno. [1:37:23] He is known [1:37:24] as Mr. Versace himself. [1:37:27] Come on, Rick. [1:37:30] Thought like this. [1:37:34] Thank you, Richard. [1:37:35] Once again, [1:37:35] I want to thank everyone [1:37:36] who've made the journey [1:37:37] to come and support [1:37:38] this event. [1:37:40] You know, [1:37:40] this is a very, [1:37:42] very intriguing fight. [1:37:44] You know, [1:37:45] 2026 has been [1:37:46] the year of returns. [1:37:48] You know, [1:37:49] we had the return [1:37:50] of Tyson Fury. [1:37:51] We had the return [1:37:52] of Anthony Joshua. [1:37:54] We even had the return [1:37:55] of Richard Schaefer [1:37:56] on the stage. [1:37:57] But it doesn't get [1:37:59] any bigger [1:38:00] than the return [1:38:01] of Saul Canelo Alvarez, [1:38:04] the face of boxing. [1:38:06] And Canelo's been out [1:38:08] for over a year. [1:38:09] He rehabbed an injury. [1:38:11] You know, [1:38:11] I've said it before. [1:38:12] He could have taken [1:38:12] a much easier fight. [1:38:15] But Canelo doesn't work [1:38:16] that way. [1:38:17] He said, [1:38:17] give me the punching machine [1:38:19] that nobody wants to fight. [1:38:21] Give me the undefeated guy [1:38:23] who throws [1:38:24] a hundred punches around. [1:38:25] I want that guy. [1:38:29] We said, [1:38:29] you sure you want that guy? [1:38:30] I want that guy. [1:38:32] Christian and Billy, [1:38:33] this is the most important [1:38:35] fight of his career. [1:38:36] He is zoned in. [1:38:37] He's talked about [1:38:38] fighting Canelo [1:38:39] for years. [1:38:40] He's talked with his family. [1:38:42] He's talked with his friends. [1:38:44] He wants to find out [1:38:46] if Canelo [1:38:47] is still Canelo. [1:38:50] He believes [1:38:51] this is his chance [1:38:52] to get the bite [1:38:53] of the apple. [1:38:54] And with Canelo, [1:38:55] a guy on his level, [1:38:57] you only get [1:38:58] one opportunity, [1:38:59] one bite of the apple. [1:39:01] So you got to make [1:39:02] the best of it. [1:39:03] There's no second chance. [1:39:06] Christian knows that [1:39:07] and he wants to make [1:39:07] the best of this opportunity [1:39:09] for his country [1:39:10] and to prove [1:39:11] that it's his time [1:39:12] to shine in the weight class. [1:39:15] Canelo [1:39:15] has other plans [1:39:17] and [1:39:19] he embraces [1:39:21] a fight [1:39:22] with this kind of challenger. [1:39:24] He embraces [1:39:25] an undefeated champion [1:39:26] like Mbili [1:39:27] because he wants a guy [1:39:28] to come in there [1:39:28] and test him. [1:39:30] He wants a guy [1:39:30] to come at him [1:39:31] and throw 100 punches around [1:39:32] and stay in the pocket. [1:39:34] The last time, [1:39:35] you know, [1:39:36] Canelo fought in Riyadh, [1:39:37] he was almost [1:39:38] in a track meet. [1:39:39] He was 10 pounds lighter [1:39:40] by the time [1:39:41] he got out of the ring. [1:39:43] There's no chasing around [1:39:44] with Christian Mbili. [1:39:45] He's a seek-and-destroy fighter. [1:39:47] You don't have to find him. [1:39:49] He comes to find you. [1:39:51] Is Canelo [1:39:52] still Canelo? [1:39:54] We're going to find out [1:39:55] on Saturday night. [1:39:56] See everyone there. [1:39:58] Thank you. [1:39:58] Thank you, Rick. [1:39:59] The fight, [1:40:00] as mentioned before [1:40:01] by Michael Buffer, [1:40:02] is for the WBC [1:40:03] Super Middleweight [1:40:05] World Championship. [1:40:06] I'd like to acknowledge [1:40:07] now my good friend [1:40:09] who came a long way, [1:40:11] traveled 42-plus hours, [1:40:13] the president [1:40:13] of the WBC, [1:40:15] Mauricio Suleiman. [1:40:16] Please stand up, Mauricio. [1:40:18] Thank you. [1:40:24] Now, [1:40:25] the fight will be shown [1:40:26] worldwide on the zone, [1:40:28] on the zone pay-per-view. [1:40:29] And some people have asked me [1:40:30] about the timing. [1:40:32] It's going to be, [1:40:32] Canelo is going to do [1:40:33] his ring walk [1:40:34] around 1.30 or so [1:40:36] Los Angeles time, [1:40:39] 4, 5.30 in New York. [1:40:42] And so the question was, [1:40:43] why so early? [1:40:44] This is Halloween. [1:40:45] And he wanted to make sure [1:40:47] that his many fans [1:40:48] who have young family, [1:40:50] young children, [1:40:51] are going to have [1:40:52] an opportunity to do both, [1:40:54] to watch his fight [1:40:55] early afternoon, [1:40:57] and then in the evening [1:40:58] go and take [1:40:59] their children [1:41:00] trick-or-treating [1:41:02] and celebrate [1:41:03] his victory. [1:41:04] That's why [1:41:05] he was asking [1:41:07] for the start time [1:41:08] to be around [1:41:09] the time when it is. [1:41:11] In addition to that, [1:41:12] as I mentioned, [1:41:13] this is Halloween in Mexico. [1:41:14] It's Dia de los Muertos, [1:41:16] which is one of [1:41:17] the biggest Mexican holidays. [1:41:19] And we, of course, [1:41:20] all know that [1:41:21] it is Canelo [1:41:22] who made [1:41:22] the Cinco de Mayo dates [1:41:24] and the Quinze de September, [1:41:26] the Mexican independence dates, [1:41:28] to what they are today. [1:41:30] And now he's going [1:41:30] to create another legacy, [1:41:33] another date [1:41:34] with the Dia de los Muertos. [1:41:36] That will become [1:41:36] another one of those [1:41:38] Mexican traditional [1:41:39] boxing holidays. [1:41:41] And the first one of them, [1:41:43] he is showing up himself. [1:41:46] Yes, that's what Canelo does. [1:41:49] Always history [1:41:50] and breaking records, [1:41:51] that's what motivates him. [1:41:53] But now I'd like [1:41:54] to introduce to you [1:41:55] Team Mbili. [1:41:57] I'd like to introduce [1:41:58] to you first [1:41:59] his promoter, [1:42:02] the CEO [1:42:02] of Eye of the Tiger, [1:42:04] a man I've known [1:42:05] for as well [1:42:06] 20 plus years. [1:42:07] Always a pleasure [1:42:08] to work with you, [1:42:09] Camille. [1:42:10] Camille is a gentleman. [1:42:12] Please, [1:42:12] if you want to say [1:42:13] a few words [1:42:14] about the fight, [1:42:15] about your fighters, [1:42:15] the floor is yours, Camille. [1:42:18] Thank you, Richard. [1:42:52] I'm so very proud [1:42:53] to be here today [1:42:54] with Christian Mbili [1:42:56] and the team. [1:42:58] We worked so hard [1:42:59] for the spot [1:43:02] we are in today. [1:43:03] He's today a world champion, [1:43:05] the WBC world champion. [1:43:07] We're very proud of that. [1:43:09] And he's about to fight [1:43:10] a legend in boxing, [1:43:13] Canelo. [1:43:14] Lots of respect [1:43:15] for Saul Canelo Alvarez. [1:43:17] He's going to go down [1:43:18] in the record books [1:43:19] for decades [1:43:20] and more to come. [1:43:24] But don't get me wrong. [1:43:26] We have all kinds [1:43:27] of respect for Canelo, [1:43:29] but we are here to win. [1:43:30] And I can tell you one thing. [1:43:34] Nobody can guarantee a fight. [1:43:35] A fight is a fight. [1:43:36] We have to see what happens. [1:43:39] But Christian has the full belief [1:43:42] and conviction [1:43:43] that he will come out [1:43:45] still champion [1:43:46] and take the throne [1:43:48] from Canelo. [1:43:49] We are not here [1:43:55] to be in this fight. [1:43:58] We are not here [1:43:59] to be part [1:43:59] of the Canelo story. [1:44:01] It's very tilted [1:44:02] towards Canelo, [1:44:03] this, Canelo, [1:44:03] that. [1:44:03] With all due respect, [1:44:05] we are here [1:44:05] to write our own story. [1:44:09] We are here [1:44:10] to write our own story. [1:44:12] So, big thanks [1:44:14] to His Royal Highness [1:44:16] Prince Mohammed bin Salman, [1:44:25] to His Excellency [1:44:26] Turkey Al-Sheikh [1:44:28] who's done so much [1:44:29] for boxing. [1:44:30] We're all very grateful [1:44:31] for you. [1:44:34] Dr. Rakan, [1:44:35] Sela, [1:44:37] Riyadh season. [1:44:38] And for Halloween, [1:44:39] we have a surprise [1:44:40] for you. [1:44:42] So, it'll be fireworks [1:44:43] in the ring. [1:44:44] Don't miss this [1:44:44] on The Zone. [1:44:45] It's 4.30 [1:44:46] for the Montreal fans, [1:44:48] Easter time, [1:44:49] New York fans. [1:44:50] And I want to say [1:44:51] a few words in French [1:44:52] to our fans in Quebec. [1:44:53] We are here, [1:44:54] we represent you, [1:44:54] we are proud [1:44:55] to be here for you [1:44:56] and you are very proud [1:44:58] of the work [1:44:59] that we have done [1:44:59] to represent you [1:45:01] in the best way [1:45:01] we can be. [1:45:02] Vive le Québec. [1:45:03] Thank you all. [1:45:04] Thank you, Camille. [1:45:08] I'd like to introduce [1:45:09] now Mark Ramsey, [1:45:12] the trainer [1:45:12] of Christian Mbili. [1:45:14] Maybe you can tell us [1:45:15] a bit about camp, [1:45:17] the preparation, [1:45:18] and any other comments [1:45:20] you have. [1:45:20] First of all, [1:45:21] thank you everybody [1:45:22] to be here with us today. [1:45:24] Thank you to Saudi people [1:45:25] to receive us. [1:45:27] Thank you to The Zone [1:45:28] and our promoter, [1:45:29] Camille Stéphane, [1:45:29] to give us [1:45:30] that great opportunity. [1:45:32] We have a wonderful [1:45:34] training camp, [1:45:35] hard but very nice [1:45:36] training camp, [1:45:37] no injury, [1:45:38] no excuse, [1:45:39] ready to fight, [1:45:40] ready to give the fans [1:45:42] what they deserve, [1:45:43] a good boxing match. [1:45:45] When you know [1:45:45] the style of both boxers, [1:45:47] you know you have a guarantee [1:45:48] it's going to be a good match, [1:45:49] and we have a guarantee [1:45:50] it's going to be a win [1:45:51] for Christian Mbili. [1:45:52] Thank you. [1:45:54] Thank you, Mark. [1:45:56] Now I'd like to introduce [1:45:57] to you [1:45:58] the manager [1:45:59] and trainer [1:46:00] of Canelo Alvarez. [1:46:03] I already mentioned before, [1:46:04] some people actually [1:46:06] don't refer to this card [1:46:07] as Mexico versus the world. [1:46:10] They say [1:46:10] Eddie Reynos [1:46:11] versus the world [1:46:12] because he has like [1:46:14] eight fighters [1:46:15] on the card. [1:46:16] So, [1:46:16] he's going to be [1:46:17] a busy man. [1:46:18] And Eddie, [1:46:20] we would like to know [1:46:21] from you a bit [1:46:21] about camp. [1:46:23] There has been [1:46:24] some changes. [1:46:25] You've been [1:46:26] training in Gandia. [1:46:28] And how are you [1:46:29] going to deal [1:46:30] with eight fighters [1:46:31] on the card? [1:46:34] Mariana, [1:46:35] do you want to, [1:46:35] Mariana is going to [1:46:36] translate. [1:46:41] Eddie, [1:46:46] todo mundo dice que [1:46:47] esta cartelera [1:46:49] eres tú contra el mundo. [1:46:51] Hay mucha expectativa. [1:46:52] ¿Qué esperamos [1:46:53] de este evento? [1:46:54] Pues miren, [1:46:55] antes que nada [1:46:55] de hablar, [1:46:57] quería decirles [1:47:00] que el día de hoy [1:47:00] cumple Canelo [1:47:01] 21 años que debutó [1:47:03] y hace 21 años [1:47:05] quería que le brindaran [1:47:07] un aplauso, [1:47:08] la verdad. [1:47:09] Me pongo de pie [1:47:10] para decir esto [1:47:11] y decirles [1:47:12] que estoy muy orgulloso [1:47:14] de que se haya convertido [1:47:16] en el boxeador mexicano [1:47:18] más exitoso [1:47:19] en toda la historia [1:47:20] del boxeo. [1:47:21] Y vamos a demostrar [1:47:22] el sábado [1:47:23] quién ha sido [1:47:24] el mejor boxeador [1:47:25] en la historia [1:47:26] de México [1:47:26] y lo vamos a sellar [1:47:27] ganando el primer título [1:47:28] que ganamos [1:47:29] que fue el del [1:47:29] Consejo Mundial de Boxeo [1:47:32] y pues ahora sí [1:47:33] como dicen [1:47:34] yo contra el mundo [1:47:35] pero yo no me subo [1:47:36] aquí mi campeón [1:47:36] me va a respaldar [1:47:38] y vamos a ganar [1:47:38] el título mundial otra vez. [1:47:40] I would like to acknowledge [1:47:44] that we are achieving [1:47:46] a very important milestone [1:47:48] in the sport. [1:47:50] Saúl is reaching [1:47:52] his 21st year [1:47:53] as a boxer. [1:47:55] I cannot be proudest [1:47:57] of this. [1:47:58] Everyone says [1:48:00] yeah it's me [1:48:01] against the world [1:48:01] but it's really him [1:48:02] who steps up [1:48:03] into the ring [1:48:04] and I know [1:48:05] that he will not upset [1:48:06] and we will be victorious [1:48:07] on Saturday. [1:48:08] I'm very proud of him. [1:48:10] Thank you. [1:48:12] Gracias, Eddie. [1:48:14] Now it is a pleasure [1:48:15] for me to introduce [1:48:16] to you [1:48:17] the reigning, [1:48:18] defending [1:48:18] and undefeated [1:48:19] WPC [1:48:21] super middleweight [1:48:22] world champion [1:48:23] Christian Mbili. [1:48:25] His resume [1:48:26] is impeccable. [1:48:27] He is a 2016 Olympian [1:48:31] made into the quarterfinals [1:48:32] 29 and 0 [1:48:34] undefeated [1:48:35] big puncher [1:48:37] 83% [1:48:38] knockout ratio [1:48:39] average needs [1:48:40] less than five rounds [1:48:41] to KO his opponents. [1:48:43] He is Christian [1:48:44] Solide Mbili. [1:48:46] Please. [1:48:53] Hello everyone. [1:48:55] Thank you to be here [1:48:55] with us. [1:48:57] I'm very happy [1:48:57] to be here too. [1:48:58] I can't wait [1:49:00] to be in the ring. [1:49:01] I want to thank [1:49:02] my team, [1:49:05] my promoter, [1:49:06] all my training [1:49:07] partner. [1:49:09] Now I'm ready [1:49:10] for this fight. [1:49:11] I'm ready to make, [1:49:12] I'm ready to shock [1:49:14] the world [1:49:14] and that's it. [1:49:17] I have [1:49:18] a big respect [1:49:19] for Canelo [1:49:20] for all his career [1:49:21] and I want to [1:49:22] congratulate him [1:49:23] for this [1:49:23] but in Saturday [1:49:25] it will be [1:49:25] a different story [1:49:27] and I'm coming [1:49:27] for the win. [1:49:28] Thank you. [1:49:29] Thank you. [1:49:35] And now [1:49:35] the moment [1:49:36] you've all been [1:49:37] waiting for. [1:49:38] I have known him [1:49:39] since he was 17 years old. [1:49:42] Quickly recognized [1:49:43] that he is [1:49:43] a generational talent [1:49:45] with a God-given talent. [1:49:47] But what I learned [1:49:48] as well [1:49:49] over the years [1:49:50] I've known him [1:49:51] that he has another [1:49:52] God-given talent. [1:49:53] Something you can't [1:49:54] teach or learn [1:49:55] and that is loyalty. [1:49:57] And that loyalty [1:49:58] is on full display [1:50:00] again [1:50:00] when he reached out [1:50:02] to his excellency [1:50:03] Turkey al-Sheikh [1:50:04] and said [1:50:04] I am coming. [1:50:06] This event [1:50:07] is going to happen [1:50:07] in Riyadh, [1:50:09] Saudi Arabia. [1:50:10] That's the loyal man [1:50:11] Canelo Alvarez is. [1:50:17] Eddie already alluded [1:50:19] to it. [1:50:20] 21 years. [1:50:21] But do you know [1:50:22] that it was actually [1:50:24] exactly today [1:50:25] the 29th of October [1:50:28] in 2005 [1:50:31] when Canelo turned pro. [1:50:34] Exactly 21 years. [1:50:37] And what a journey [1:50:38] it has been. [1:50:39] Breaking attendance records. [1:50:42] Breaking pay-per-view records. [1:50:44] Becoming, [1:50:45] I counted a bit more titles [1:50:46] than Michael Buffer did. [1:50:48] I have 19-time world champion [1:50:50] and soon 20. [1:50:53] Multiple weight classes. [1:50:55] Undisputed. [1:50:56] And look at his record [1:50:58] for his last five opponents. [1:51:00] 158 wins [1:51:02] with zero losses. [1:51:05] Why? [1:51:06] Why does he keep doing that? [1:51:09] 532 rounds boxed. [1:51:11] Never touched the canvas. [1:51:15] If you go home [1:51:17] and you check [1:51:17] in the directory [1:51:18] living legend, [1:51:21] you know what will pop up? [1:51:23] Canelo Alvarez. [1:51:25] He's my friend. [1:51:27] He's the face of boxing [1:51:29] and he's a living legend. [1:51:31] He is the one and only. [1:51:32] Saul Canelo Alvarez. [1:51:35] Thank you, Richard. [1:51:36] Sounds really good. [1:51:38] Thank you. [1:51:38] Thank you. [1:51:38] Thank you. [1:51:39] Thank you so much. [1:51:42] I really appreciate [1:51:43] being here [1:51:44] and now [1:51:45] almost [1:51:47] being a champion [1:51:49] again on Saturday [1:51:50] after 20 years [1:51:51] as a professional. [1:51:52] I'm glad to be here. [1:51:54] I'm very excited. [1:51:56] I'm very happy [1:51:57] with all my career. [1:52:01] Sounds like [1:52:02] yesterday. [1:52:05] And I want to thank [1:52:06] Mauricio [1:52:07] and his father [1:52:08] and honor. [1:52:10] His father, [1:52:11] he gave me the opportunity [1:52:12] to win my first title [1:52:14] and this opportunity too. [1:52:17] So, [1:52:18] thank everybody [1:52:19] who make this happen. [1:52:21] Turkey Al-Azhi, [1:52:22] Crown Prince, [1:52:23] especially to my team. [1:52:26] My whole team. [1:52:27] Thank you for [1:52:28] always believing me. [1:52:29] and I'm ready for Saturday. [1:52:31] I'm the challenge now. [1:52:33] But guess what? [1:52:36] Always in my mind, [1:52:37] I'm the champion [1:52:38] since I was a little kid. [1:52:40] So, [1:52:41] please turn in [1:52:43] Saturday night [1:52:44] because it's gonna be [1:52:45] a special night. [1:52:46] Mexico contra el mundo. [1:52:48] Thank you. [1:52:52] I'm gonna ask [1:52:54] a couple questions [1:52:55] from the fighters, [1:52:56] maybe with Christian first. [1:52:59] You stated in some media [1:53:01] that you would like [1:53:02] to knock out [1:53:02] Ganelo [1:53:03] or that you're gonna [1:53:04] knock him out. [1:53:05] He has had [1:53:06] 532 rounds, [1:53:08] 70 fights, [1:53:09] has never touched [1:53:09] the canvas. [1:53:11] How do you intend [1:53:12] to achieve that? [1:53:14] We're gonna see. [1:53:15] We're gonna see. [1:53:16] That's why [1:53:16] you don't want [1:53:17] to miss the fight. [1:53:18] We're gonna have [1:53:19] a lot, [1:53:19] a lot of big surprise. [1:53:20] This is like by far [1:53:22] the biggest fight [1:53:23] of your career. [1:53:25] And I can see [1:53:26] you are physically [1:53:27] in a tremendous shape. [1:53:29] I know you worked hard. [1:53:30] I know that's what you want. [1:53:32] But how have you [1:53:33] mentally prepared yourself [1:53:35] to take on a challenge [1:53:37] like Ganelo Alvarez? [1:53:39] You know, [1:53:39] my training camp [1:53:40] was perfect. [1:53:41] It was a bigger [1:53:42] training camp ever [1:53:43] for me. [1:53:44] I think my man [1:53:46] is still ready [1:53:47] for this fight. [1:53:48] I'm both ready [1:53:48] for this fight. [1:53:49] And that's it. [1:53:51] I don't have, [1:53:51] I don't want, [1:53:52] I don't need any more [1:53:54] thing to win [1:53:55] or something like that. [1:53:56] I only need [1:53:56] to be myself. [1:53:57] And that's why [1:53:58] I'm gonna win this fight. [1:54:01] Thank you. [1:54:02] Question for Saul. [1:54:06] It seems that you have [1:54:07] a very special bond [1:54:09] and relationship [1:54:10] with His Excellency. [1:54:12] Can you tell us [1:54:13] something about that? [1:54:15] I appreciate everything [1:54:16] he do for boxing [1:54:18] and what he did for me. [1:54:20] So I appreciate [1:54:21] everything Turkey Al-Shey [1:54:22] did for everybody. [1:54:24] And I just, [1:54:25] I just have him [1:54:27] like my true friend [1:54:29] and that's it. [1:54:31] Okay. [1:54:33] Another question [1:54:34] and it's maybe [1:54:35] a bit more personal. [1:54:37] To be honest with you, [1:54:39] it drives me crazy. [1:54:41] When we were sitting [1:54:43] in that meeting [1:54:44] with His Excellency, [1:54:45] Turkey Al-Sheyik, [1:54:46] he said, [1:54:47] you can fight [1:54:48] anyone you want. [1:54:50] You could have [1:54:50] literally picked [1:54:51] anyone. [1:54:53] And I was there. [1:54:55] And what does, [1:54:55] what do you say? [1:54:57] I want Christian and Billy. [1:54:59] Undefeated, [1:55:00] biggest puncher, [1:55:01] knockout artist. [1:55:03] Why do you keep [1:55:04] doing that? [1:55:04] Why? [1:55:05] I mean, [1:55:05] 158 and O, [1:55:07] you're fighting guys [1:55:08] you never lost. [1:55:09] Like, [1:55:10] why do you, [1:55:10] why do you keep [1:55:11] doing that? [1:55:11] Because I don't believe [1:55:13] in shortcut. [1:55:14] So, [1:55:15] I go straight [1:55:16] with the champion. [1:55:17] I already have [1:55:18] the experience. [1:55:19] I'm being a champion [1:55:20] many years [1:55:21] and I want to be [1:55:22] a champion again [1:55:23] and I want to face [1:55:24] the best. [1:55:25] And he's a champion [1:55:26] and that's it. [1:55:28] Thank you. [1:55:30] Christian, [1:55:31] any final message [1:55:32] to your opponent? [1:55:34] Good luck. [1:55:37] Good luck [1:55:37] and see you on Saturday. [1:55:40] Okay. [1:55:40] Saul, [1:55:41] any final message [1:55:42] to your opponent? [1:55:43] Yeah, [1:55:44] see you on Saturday. [1:55:45] All right. [1:55:46] Ladies and gentlemen, [1:55:48] here from Riyadh Live, [1:55:49] this concludes [1:55:50] our press conference. [1:55:51] We are going to [1:55:52] face off the fighters now. [1:55:54] Again, [1:55:54] make sure you tune in [1:55:56] this Saturday [1:55:57] on The Zone, [1:55:58] available worldwide. [1:55:59] It's going to be [1:56:00] one of the biggest fights [1:56:01] we have seen [1:56:02] in a long, [1:56:03] long time. [1:56:04] Thank you very much. [1:57:21] Well, [1:57:21] there you go, [1:57:21] the face-off [1:57:22] between Canelo Alvarez [1:57:23] and Christian [1:57:24] and Billy [1:57:25] before their fights [1:57:25] on a Saturday night. [1:57:28] Listen, [1:57:28] this is serious business [1:57:29] and they look like [1:57:30] it's serious business. [1:57:31] I think, [1:57:32] if you think back [1:57:32] to some of the face-offs [1:57:34] we've seen recently [1:57:35] for Canelo [1:57:35] with Edgar Belanga, [1:57:36] Caleb Plant, [1:57:37] you kind of enjoyed [1:57:38] that animosity, right? [1:57:40] Does it matter [1:57:41] that there's no spark [1:57:42] necessarily between [1:57:42] the two fighters [1:57:43] in that way, Sergio? [1:57:44] I mean, [1:57:45] it matters for the promotion. [1:57:47] It matters for the fans [1:57:48] and we always want [1:57:48] to see a little drama [1:57:49] and you said it, [1:57:50] those were the best [1:57:51] conferences. [1:57:52] I mean, [1:57:52] when Caleb Plant [1:57:53] tried to slap Canelo [1:57:54] and Canelo's like, [1:57:55] hey man, [1:57:55] I'm going to get you [1:57:56] and he got him [1:57:57] in the ring, right? [1:57:58] I would like to have [1:57:59] seen a little bit [1:57:59] out of him, Billy. [1:58:00] A little bit of emotion. [1:58:02] If there's a little [1:58:02] clash of language, [1:58:06] say it in French. [1:58:07] Just bring some passion [1:58:08] and then Canelo [1:58:09] would have showed you [1:58:10] passion because Canelo [1:58:11] is the type of guy [1:58:11] that if you show him [1:58:12] disrespect, [1:58:13] he's going to double down. [1:58:14] So as a fan, [1:58:15] I wanted to see it. [1:58:16] One of the things [1:58:16] we sometimes talk about [1:58:17] with Canelo Alvarez [1:58:18] is that there's an issue [1:58:19] where his opponents [1:58:20] come in with too much respect [1:58:22] because of who he is [1:58:23] and what he's achieved [1:58:24] in the sport. [1:58:25] Is that something [1:58:26] we could see be an issue [1:58:27] or do you think [1:58:27] Kristen and Billy [1:58:28] brings the fire [1:58:29] but he does it in the ring? [1:58:30] Well, [1:58:30] I just seen a little bit [1:58:31] of it right there. [1:58:32] When they were just [1:58:33] facing off [1:58:33] and then they turned away [1:58:34] and Billy just reached [1:58:35] over to him [1:58:35] and hugged him [1:58:36] and said something [1:58:36] in his ear. [1:58:37] I don't think [1:58:37] there's no need [1:58:38] for that right now. [1:58:39] You're a knockout artist. [1:58:40] You have this fervor [1:58:42] and this anger [1:58:42] and this whole hype [1:58:44] behind you [1:58:44] that's very believable [1:58:45] for individuals like me. [1:58:47] What do you got to say [1:58:48] to Canelo [1:58:49] besides tomorrow [1:58:50] you're going to see [1:58:51] what I'm really about? [1:58:52] And that came across [1:58:52] that he didn't say that. [1:58:54] He came across [1:58:55] like a little bit too friendly. [1:58:56] A little too nice? [1:58:56] Came a little too friendly. [1:58:57] We've seen [1:58:58] it just come across [1:58:59] like when guys fight Canelo [1:59:00] they are more interested [1:59:01] in being his friend [1:59:02] or being close to him [1:59:03] in another type of way [1:59:05] instead of going out there [1:59:05] and trying to get a job done [1:59:07] because he's not trying [1:59:07] to do that with them. [1:59:08] He's going out there [1:59:09] trying to get a mission complete [1:59:10] and that's to take them off. [1:59:13] This is obviously [1:59:14] kind of the start [1:59:14] of his rebuild [1:59:15] after the loss [1:59:16] to Terrence Crawford. [1:59:16] But I guess what this fight [1:59:17] in some ways [1:59:18] will answer for us [1:59:19] is was Terrence Crawford [1:59:20] just exceptional [1:59:22] and that was why [1:59:23] Canelo Alvarez lost [1:59:23] or was this kind of [1:59:24] the start of the age showing [1:59:26] and a bit of an aging decline [1:59:28] for Canelo Alvarez? [1:59:29] Is that right, Sergio? [1:59:30] I think we've seen [1:59:31] a slight decline [1:59:32] before Terrence Crawford [1:59:34] but he was at his best. [1:59:35] I mean Crawford [1:59:36] was at his absolute best. [1:59:37] He was just dealing [1:59:38] with an all-time great [1:59:40] that was a boxer [1:59:41] from two stands [1:59:42] lefty and righty [1:59:43] and that's what [1:59:44] Canelo struggles with. [1:59:45] Guys that jab, [1:59:46] guys that move [1:59:47] that use angles [1:59:47] that don't stand [1:59:48] in front of you [1:59:48] and that have no fear. [1:59:51] Crawford never gave him [1:59:51] that half pound [1:59:52] and never gave him [1:59:53] that respect. [1:59:54] Crawford was mean. [1:59:55] He carried a chip [1:59:55] on his shoulder. [1:59:56] Demetri Bevo [1:59:57] had that icy cold stare [1:59:59] when he looked [2:00:00] at Canelo. [2:00:01] Floyd Mayweather Jr., [2:00:03] well we all know [2:00:03] how money does it. [2:00:05] I agree with Malik. [2:00:06] Whenever you're dealing [2:00:06] with all-time greatness [2:00:07] and you're looking [2:00:08] right in their face, [2:00:10] you got two things to do. [2:00:12] Not show intimidation [2:00:13] and not show [2:00:14] too much respect. [2:00:15] That's it. [2:00:16] I think he, [2:00:17] the ice there was good [2:00:18] but afterwards... [2:00:19] But afterwards, [2:00:19] just a little hug [2:00:20] and then Canelo, [2:00:21] whatever he said, [2:00:22] it was humor into it [2:00:23] because Canelo laughed [2:00:24] and then told Eddie [2:00:25] Reynoso what was said. [2:00:26] I just don't think that, [2:00:27] does that mean he's not [2:00:28] going to go in there [2:00:29] and be who he is tomorrow? [2:00:30] No, but the telltales [2:00:31] early on, [2:00:32] just sounds like that [2:00:33] don't look too good. [2:00:35] In terms of when we see [2:00:37] this fight on Saturday night, [2:00:39] what are you looking forward [2:00:40] to finding out [2:00:41] about Canelo Alves? [2:00:42] What are your question marks [2:00:43] going into this fight [2:00:43] in terms of that [2:00:44] slight decline we've seen? [2:00:45] Me personally, [2:00:46] I'm looking to see [2:00:47] if he can handle [2:00:47] the high volume. [2:00:48] First, I want to see [2:00:49] if Billy is going to treat Canelo [2:00:52] how he do every other opposition. [2:00:54] Is he going to get [2:00:55] right in his chest, [2:00:56] stay in his chest, [2:00:56] regardless of what Canelo do? [2:00:58] Is he going to throw [2:00:59] that onslaught of four, [2:01:00] five, six punch combinations [2:01:02] and get physical [2:01:02] with his forearms? [2:01:04] And if he do that, [2:01:05] he's able to do that [2:01:06] five to eight times a round. [2:01:08] It's going to be [2:01:09] very interesting to see [2:01:10] if this second half, [2:01:10] Canelo could keep up [2:01:11] with a high pace like that [2:01:12] because that's a violent pace [2:01:13] to keep up with [2:01:14] when you're fighting [2:01:14] somebody like him, Billy. [2:01:15] What about you, Sergio? [2:01:16] What I want to see is [2:01:18] he's dropped four [2:01:19] of his last eight opponents. [2:01:21] If he puts this man down, [2:01:23] if he puts him, Billy, down, [2:01:24] is he going to go for the kill? [2:01:25] Is he going to go for the knockout? [2:01:27] Or he's going to do [2:01:27] what he's been doing [2:01:28] is still cruise [2:01:30] to the finish line [2:01:31] because he wants to reserve [2:01:32] that gas tank. [2:01:33] I want to see Canelo [2:01:34] put him, Billy, down, [2:01:36] and I want to see him finish him. [2:01:37] If Canelo could do that, [2:01:39] then there's a long way [2:01:40] to go for Canelo [2:01:41] and the ceiling's still high. [2:01:43] Is that an age [2:01:44] because your concern [2:01:45] is that your gas tank [2:01:46] won't last you [2:01:46] if you don't end up [2:01:47] finishing him? [2:01:48] That's exactly what it is [2:01:49] because you start [2:01:50] questioning your legs. [2:01:51] You know, whenever a fighter [2:01:53] is in his mid-30s [2:01:54] and when you've had [2:01:55] so much wear and tear [2:01:56] and injuries, [2:01:58] you just want to [2:01:59] have enough reserves [2:02:00] to fight the dog rounds [2:02:03] in the end [2:02:03] if they do turn [2:02:04] into dog rounds. [2:02:04] But if you can cruise [2:02:05] easy rounds [2:02:06] and put them in the bank [2:02:07] and go into a finish line [2:02:08] just like Canelo [2:02:09] has done [2:02:10] for the last five, [2:02:11] six years, [2:02:11] then that's what [2:02:12] he's going to do. [2:02:13] I think I totally get [2:02:15] where Sergio [2:02:16] is coming from with that. [2:02:17] I think when Canelo [2:02:18] fought Belenga down, [2:02:20] he attempted to try [2:02:21] to finish him, [2:02:21] but it wasn't like [2:02:22] how a young Canelo [2:02:23] would go in there. [2:02:23] A young Canelo [2:02:24] would be a little bit [2:02:25] more dangerously [2:02:26] but reckless [2:02:27] to get you out of there. [2:02:28] That Canelo [2:02:29] I don't believe [2:02:30] is not there anymore, [2:02:31] but what is there [2:02:32] is the one that is [2:02:33] willing to put pressure [2:02:34] on you. [2:02:34] If you can take it, [2:02:36] it's going to be [2:02:36] a good fight, [2:02:37] and if you can't, [2:02:37] he's going to get you [2:02:38] out of there. [2:02:38] The time he knocked [2:02:39] Munguia down, [2:02:41] he kind of really [2:02:41] didn't go after it [2:02:42] in that case. [2:02:43] Like even the example [2:02:45] I gave early on, [2:02:46] Collin Smith, [2:02:47] he beat him up, [2:02:48] he changed his mannerism [2:02:49] and everything, [2:02:50] but it didn't seem like [2:02:51] he went for the actual kill. [2:02:52] So that's a second half Canelo [2:02:54] and even that second half Canelo [2:02:55] is still one of the best fighters, [2:02:57] if not the best fighter [2:02:58] in the world. [2:02:59] What did you think [2:03:00] of his, [2:03:00] what he said there [2:03:01] about the challenge [2:03:02] of his time around, [2:03:03] which, you know, [2:03:04] feels different for Canelo, [2:03:05] but my mindset is always [2:03:07] that I'm the champion. [2:03:08] It's always been that way [2:03:09] since I'm young. [2:03:09] Do you like that? [2:03:10] I love that, [2:03:11] and every fighter [2:03:12] needs that kick in the butt. [2:03:14] Every fighter has to look [2:03:15] himself in the mirror. [2:03:16] I mean, [2:03:16] you can go back [2:03:17] to the Rocky movies [2:03:18] when Rocky lost his hunger, [2:03:20] that whole eye of the tiger thing, [2:03:21] and he wants to go in there [2:03:22] as a challenger. [2:03:23] He wants to have [2:03:24] that hunger again. [2:03:25] That's why this whole thing [2:03:26] is about hunger. [2:03:28] Is he doing it for money? [2:03:29] Is he doing it for belts? [2:03:30] Is he doing it for legacy? [2:03:31] Or he's just doing it [2:03:32] out of pride. [2:03:33] This is the next guy in line [2:03:34] that says he wants [2:03:35] to take my head off, [2:03:36] the new young line, [2:03:37] undefeated, [2:03:38] strong puncher, [2:03:39] bring him to me. [2:03:40] That's bravado. [2:03:41] That's Mexican machismo. [2:03:42] What you don't mention [2:03:43] is love, [2:03:44] which is if you listen to him, [2:03:45] he'll say, [2:03:45] I do it because I love. [2:03:48] Love can be painful. [2:03:49] Yes, [2:03:50] very much so, [2:03:51] especially in this sport. [2:03:52] Love hurts. [2:03:54] Yes. [2:03:54] 21 years in this sport. [2:03:56] How extraordinary [2:03:57] is a long jet in a sport [2:03:59] that is as punishing as possible? [2:04:00] Incredibly. [2:04:01] And then, [2:04:02] keep in mind, [2:04:03] Kate, [2:04:03] this is, [2:04:06] not only have he competed [2:04:08] at the highest level [2:04:09] in how long he did it, [2:04:10] but like Sergio said, [2:04:11] we've never seen him down. [2:04:13] We've never seen him hurt [2:04:14] besides the time [2:04:15] he fought Koto's brother [2:04:16] early on in his career [2:04:17] and his equilibrium went off. [2:04:19] It is not because [2:04:19] he hasn't been in the ring [2:04:20] with punchers. [2:04:21] He has been in the ring [2:04:22] with punchers. [2:04:22] Belenga is what he is, [2:04:24] but he can punch. [2:04:25] He hit Canelo on the chin, [2:04:26] nothing happened. [2:04:27] He's been in there [2:04:28] with fighters [2:04:28] that could actually punch. [2:04:30] Crawford is not a bad puncher. [2:04:31] He was the smaller guy, [2:04:32] but he's still very accurate. [2:04:34] I've never seen Canelo [2:04:35] lose his equilibrium, [2:04:36] nothing. [2:04:36] So not only is he getting, [2:04:38] has he gotten by [2:04:39] with fame and legacy [2:04:41] and the financial [2:04:43] through this game, [2:04:44] but he's also did [2:04:45] everything the right way. [2:04:48] The nightlife, [2:04:49] you never hear about [2:04:49] this with Canelo. [2:04:51] The bad stuff [2:04:52] that fighters and athletes [2:04:53] get caught up in [2:04:54] outside of the ring, [2:04:55] you never hear about [2:04:55] this with Canelo. [2:04:56] I'm not saying [2:04:57] that he's perfect, [2:04:58] but the things that matter [2:04:59] that make a champion [2:05:00] in and outside the ring [2:05:01] disciplined, [2:05:02] he has that down. [2:05:02] It was interesting listening [2:05:05] to and Billy's manager [2:05:06] talking about, [2:05:07] you know, [2:05:07] we're not just here [2:05:07] to take part. [2:05:08] It feels a little bit [2:05:10] like we're part [2:05:10] of the Canelo show [2:05:11] and we don't want [2:05:12] just to be another name [2:05:13] on his resume. [2:05:15] Do you think, [2:05:16] as a fighter, [2:05:17] is that motivating [2:05:18] to know that kind of [2:05:20] all the attention [2:05:20] is on the other side? [2:05:22] And you could see [2:05:23] Canelo wanted to respond [2:05:24] to the manager, [2:05:25] but the microphone [2:05:27] didn't work. [2:05:27] And, yeah, [2:05:28] I think the manager [2:05:30] wanted to start [2:05:32] a little bit of animosity, [2:05:34] you know, [2:05:35] because they still [2:05:35] got to sell a fight. [2:05:37] So if Christian and Billy [2:05:38] wasn't going to sell it [2:05:39] and Canelo wasn't [2:05:40] going to get goaded [2:05:41] to sell it, [2:05:42] then the managers [2:05:42] and promoters [2:05:43] got to sell it. [2:05:43] So I think that's [2:05:44] what he was trying [2:05:44] to do right there, [2:05:45] just stoke the flames [2:05:46] a little bit. [2:05:46] And it worked, too, [2:05:47] because it's just [2:05:48] that Canelo microphone [2:05:48] was off. [2:05:49] Yeah, the mic was off, [2:05:50] so that was a technical [2:05:51] difficult tip. [2:05:52] But he was about [2:05:52] to start saying something [2:05:53] because Canelo, [2:05:54] yeah, whenever you rub [2:05:55] him the wrong way. [2:05:56] Hey, Dave. [2:05:57] Hey, Dave. [2:05:58] Is the narrative [2:06:00] accurate, though? [2:06:00] Are we overlooking? [2:06:01] Is N'Billy getting [2:06:02] overlooked, by and large? [2:06:04] I don't think so. [2:06:05] I don't think N'Billy [2:06:05] is getting overlooked. [2:06:06] I just think people [2:06:07] that's picking Canelo [2:06:08] is not because N'Billy [2:06:10] is so bad. [2:06:10] They're just going off [2:06:11] of the experience rate [2:06:12] because I'm not hearing [2:06:13] no one saying that [2:06:14] it's not a dangerous fight. [2:06:16] For sure it's a dangerous fight, [2:06:17] especially for this [2:06:18] second-half career Canelo. [2:06:20] But at the same time, [2:06:21] Canelo is who he is. [2:06:22] And even though [2:06:23] this second-half Canelo [2:06:24] is not as good [2:06:25] as the first half, [2:06:26] like I said, [2:06:26] he's still, if not [2:06:27] the best fighter [2:06:28] in the world [2:06:28] and could beat [2:06:29] almost any of the guys [2:06:31] besides the best, [2:06:32] best guy that he didn't beat, [2:06:33] which was Terrence Crawford. [2:06:34] Okay, well, [2:06:35] Claudia Trejos [2:06:35] and Mike Coppinger [2:06:36] are over at Boulevard City [2:06:38] in Riyadh, [2:06:39] so that's where [2:06:40] the press conference is. [2:06:41] Let's check in with them. [2:06:47] Hello, Kate. [2:06:48] Yes, this was an intense face-off [2:06:50] closing out the press conference [2:06:51] and Mbili is very sure [2:06:53] of his skill [2:06:54] and he's going to showcase [2:06:56] why he's the champion. [2:06:57] And for the first time [2:06:58] in a long time, [2:06:59] Canelo was very insistent. [2:07:01] Yes, I'm coming as a challenger, [2:07:02] but I always feel like a champion. [2:07:04] How do you feel about those words? [2:07:06] Canelo Alvarez [2:07:07] is still incredibly hungry. [2:07:08] I saw when I was in the gym [2:07:09] with him in Spain [2:07:11] a couple of weeks ago [2:07:11] at the gym of Alexander Usyk. [2:07:13] And he's going to have to be [2:07:14] because Christian Mbili, [2:07:15] we saw the shape he's in. [2:07:16] He has a great engine. [2:07:17] But for Mbili, [2:07:18] he's going to have to [2:07:18] really raise his level. [2:07:19] You know, we saw him [2:07:20] against Lester Martinez [2:07:21] on that Canelo Crawford undercard. [2:07:23] Fall to a draw, [2:07:23] many thought Martinez won. [2:07:25] He's going to have to be [2:07:25] a lot better to be [2:07:26] to determine Canelo Alvarez, Claudia. [2:07:28] Ah, hang tight, hang tight. [2:07:29] That was over a year ago. [2:07:30] So we know he's had [2:07:32] a whole year to prepare [2:07:33] and Mbili is taking this [2:07:34] as a real challenge. [2:07:36] And to be fair, [2:07:37] Canelo is not overlooking [2:07:38] what Mbili brings to him. [2:07:40] But this is definitely [2:07:41] not his retirement party. [2:07:43] He's been very clear [2:07:44] that he's ready, [2:07:45] that he's in the best shape, [2:07:46] and there's a lot [2:07:47] coming for him, [2:07:48] so he says. [2:07:49] Yeah, and I think, [2:07:49] Canelo, to your point, [2:07:51] he knows he has to [2:07:51] look very impressive. [2:07:52] It's not going to be [2:07:52] enough to just win. [2:07:54] A lot of people [2:07:54] are trying to write him off. [2:07:55] They no longer have him [2:07:56] on the pound-for-pound list. [2:07:57] And he told me [2:07:58] that loss to Terrence Crawford [2:07:59] still bothers him greatly. [2:08:00] He wants revenge. [2:08:01] And if he's going to get him [2:08:02] out of retirement, [2:08:03] he's going to have [2:08:03] to look really good. [2:08:04] Well, it's funny [2:08:06] because today we're celebrating [2:08:07] 21 years since his debut. [2:08:09] Wow. [2:08:09] That was back in 2005, [2:08:11] and we've seen [2:08:12] many versions of Canelo. [2:08:14] How many more versions [2:08:15] do you think [2:08:16] we'll get a chance to see? [2:08:17] I hope this is [2:08:18] the last version [2:08:18] because the only version [2:08:19] after this would be [2:08:20] the version that [2:08:20] shouldn't be fighting [2:08:21] anymore, right? [2:08:22] So Canelo Alvarez [2:08:23] is still the biggest star [2:08:24] in boxing. [2:08:24] He's done so much [2:08:25] for the sport. [2:08:25] I want to see him [2:08:26] still doing his thing [2:08:27] at the top level [2:08:27] for a long, long time. [2:08:29] Well, the truth [2:08:29] of the matter is [2:08:30] we had a great crowd. [2:08:31] They all came [2:08:32] to cheer on Canelo, [2:08:33] so we cannot deny [2:08:34] that power [2:08:35] that he has [2:08:36] to put butts [2:08:36] on those seats. [2:08:37] This was a perfect [2:08:38] example of that. [2:08:39] Don't you agree? [2:08:40] No question, [2:08:40] and Canelo Alvarez [2:08:41] is going to have [2:08:41] one more fight [2:08:42] right here in Riyadh [2:08:43] after this. [2:08:43] He's hoping to do that [2:08:44] after Ramadan ends, [2:08:45] which is going to be [2:08:45] in March of next year, [2:08:46] so maybe March-April [2:08:47] time frame. [2:08:48] Canelo very hungry, [2:08:49] but again, [2:08:49] I think Mbili's [2:08:50] even hungrier, [2:08:51] as you said. [2:08:51] This is Mbili's [2:08:52] Super Bowl. [2:08:53] Well, let's see [2:08:54] who's got a bigger bite. [2:08:55] We'll see. [2:08:55] We'll see that on Saturday, [2:08:56] but tomorrow, [2:08:57] tune in because we have [2:08:58] all the details [2:08:59] on the way. [2:09:00] Back to you. [2:09:03] All right. [2:09:03] Thank you, guys. [2:09:04] Okay, so that's it [2:09:05] from the press conference, [2:09:06] but this Saturday, [2:09:07] a legend fights [2:09:08] to reclaim his throne. [2:09:10] Canelo Alvarez, [2:09:11] a Mexican icon [2:09:11] with everything to prove. [2:09:13] Standing in his way, [2:09:14] the unbeaten [2:09:15] Christian Mbili, [2:09:16] legacy on the line, [2:09:17] one night can change [2:09:19] everything. [2:09:20] Canelo versus Mbili [2:09:21] live this Saturday [2:09:22] on DAZN Pay-Per-View. [2:09:24] Do not miss it. [2:09:26] All right, [2:09:27] as we wrap up [2:09:27] then here in the studio, [2:09:28] okay, give me [2:09:29] your final thoughts. [2:09:30] What do you think [2:09:30] happens on Saturday night [2:09:32] in this main event? [2:09:32] The easy prediction [2:09:34] for me is Canelo decision, [2:09:35] but I'm going to say [2:09:37] Canelo late round stoppage. [2:09:38] I'll say that. [2:09:39] Okay. [2:09:40] I think Canelo [2:09:41] is in a fight where, [2:09:44] and Mbili's going to make [2:09:44] him answer some questions. [2:09:45] We may see him get hurt [2:09:47] for the first time [2:09:47] that we haven't seen him [2:09:49] get hurt in a while, [2:09:49] but I think he's going [2:09:50] to pull it out [2:09:51] because of the experience aspect. [2:09:52] So I'm going to go [2:09:52] with Canelo by decision. [2:09:54] By decision. [2:09:54] Okay, everybody. [2:09:55] Well, we will find out [2:09:56] in just a couple of days. [2:09:58] Thank you to Sergio [2:09:58] and Malik. [2:09:59] Good to be with you both. [2:10:00] We will all be back [2:10:01] again at the same time [2:10:02] tomorrow with the weigh-in. [2:10:04] So we'll see you then. [2:10:05] Have a good night, everybody. [2:11:22] Teams racing to become [2:11:23] champions of the water. [2:11:25] This is the future of race. [2:11:27] I'm going to collide, [2:11:28] surely. [2:11:29] He's flying. [2:11:30] What a race we've got here. [2:11:32] I'm going to collide. [2:11:57] I'm out of here. [2:11:58] I'm not going to collide.