Saturday’s Canelo Álvarez boxing card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ended without any reported security disruptions, one week before WWE Crown Jewel is scheduled for the same arena.
Álvarez defeated Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision to regain the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in the main event at The Venue.
The judges scored the 12-round fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 in Álvarez’s favor.
The victory marked Álvarez’s return to championship status after losing his super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford in September 2025. He had not fought since that defeat and subsequently underwent elbow surgery.
The event went ahead amid an ongoing series of missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. This month, at least 12 people were killed and hundreds injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Earlier on Saturday, the Saudi-led military coalition said air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said debris fell following the interception but no injuries were reported.
Saudi authorities said two ballistic missiles were also intercepted over Riyadh on Thursday, with falling debris slightly injuring one person and damaging a house and vehicle.
Despite the latest interception, there were no reports of the boxing event itself being interrupted by the security situation. MMA Fighting reported an approximately one-hour delay before the Jaime Munguia-Nikita Zon co-main event while organizers waited for General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh to arrive, but did not attribute the delay to security concerns.
No reliable official attendance figure for Saturday’s card had been announced as of publication.
The U.S. State Department continues to list Saudi Arabia at Level 3: Reconsider Travel, citing increased risks including drone and missile attacks and the wider regional conflict. On October 25, the U.S. Embassy has also warned Americans to exercise “extreme caution” when using airports in the country.
The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and eligible family members to leave Saudi Arabia amid the increased security risk.
The security situation had already affected Saturday’s boxing card. Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov had been scheduled to fight for the vacant IBF super lightweight championship, but the fight did not take place.
Delgado’s trainer, Robert Garcia, had publicly raised concerns over traveling to Saudi Arabia amid the attacks, while Delgado and his team remained in the United States.
Saturday’s event has particular relevance to WWE because Crown Jewel is scheduled for November 7 at The Venue.
WWE’s event was originally due to take place at the outdoor Riyadh Season Stadium, but Riyadh Season announced a venue change earlier this week and refunded existing tickets.
The Venue was subsequently listed as the replacement location, the same indoor arena used for Saturday’s Álvarez-Mbilli card. No reason was given for the move. POST Wrestling reported on Friday that WWE and TKO did not respond when asked whether security was a factor.
TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro told employees during a company town hall on Wednesday that TKO would “not hesitate” to cancel its Middle East events in the event of danger or further escalation.
“We’ve got major events coming up,” Shapiro said in audio obtained by POST Wrestling. “I hope we can stage them, stage them safely.”
POST Wrestling’s Brandon Thurston reported on Friday on Shapiro’s comments and TKO’s approach to the Saudi events. WWE and TKO did not respond to questions about what circumstances would lead to cancellation or relocation, or whether talent and staff could decline to travel without consequence.
Canelo Álvarez vs. Christian Mbilli results
- Canelo Álvarez def. Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision (115-112, 116-111, 117-110) to win the WBC super middleweight championship
- Jaime Munguia def. Nikita Zon by unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 117-111)
- Rafael Espinoza def. Ricardo Blandon by third-round TKO, 1:22
- Reito Tsutsumi def. Raymundo Rojas by second-round TKO, 2:27
- Carl Jammes Martin def. David Picasso by split decision (94-95, 95-94, 96-93)
- Sultan Almohammed def. Erick Villegas by unanimous decision (60-54, 59-55, 59-55)
- Bek Nurmaganbet def. Marcos Vazquez by first-round knockout, 2:57
- Emiliano Rojo def. Flavius Biea by fourth-round TKO, 1:38
- Brayan Leon def. Hector Aguirre by unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 78-74)
