Oscar De La Hoya has weighed in on Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Christian Mbilli, questioning the Mexican’s ambition as he inches closer towards retirement.
The 35-year-old has not fought since losing his four world titles to Terence Crawford, whose unanimous decision victory saw him become a three-weight undisputed champion in September.
With Crawford having subsequently retired and vacated all four super-middleweight belts, though, Canelo is now set to face WBC champion Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The pair are scheduled to square off this September, with Alvarez bidding to prove that he remains capable of competing at the top level.
Mbilli, on the other hand, looks to cement himself as the flagship operator at 168lbs after being elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion.
Like Canelo, the Frenchman has not fought since last September, when he boxed to a 10-round draw with unbeaten contender Lester Martinez.
It could therefore be said that Mbilli’s world-class credentials remain somewhat questionable, at least in the eyes of former Canelo promoter De La Hoya.
Speaking with Fight Hub TV, the Golden Boy boss revealed that he does not rate Mbilli as an Alvarez opponent, nor does he see it being a particularly successful event in Riyadh.
“Mbilli, come on. I just don’t like the fight, especially if it’s not going to be here in the US. Again, we have to watch a fight at 9am? I’m just not a fan of that.
“I would’ve loved Canelo to fight here in Vegas in September, with all his fans cheering him on. That’s what fight fans wanna experience – big events.
“Every fighter has his peak and then you start to see the exit coming. [Canelo’s] a few fights away from retirement, so I don’t blame him for taking the money and running. But I do feel that he has a few good fights left in him against great fighters. Not Mbilli.”
With Canelo and De La Hoya rarely seeing eye to eye, it is perhaps unsurprising that the two-time Hall of Famer is not the biggest endorser of his former client’s next fight.
