Alvarez vs. Mbili Boxing Match Goes Ahead in Saudi Arabia Despite Attacks

The Mexican boxer tells Turki Alalshikh that he fears nothing and will face Mbili in Riyadh on October 31.

Saudi sports promoter Turki Al-Sheikh has confirmed that the world title fight between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Christian Mabili will take place in Saudi Arabia this month, despite attacks on the country's airports that have killed at least 14 people in Riyadh over two days.

Alvarez and Mobili are scheduled to fight on October 31 in the Saudi capital, which has been repeatedly attacked by Yemen's Houthis, but al-Sheikh sought to dispel doubts about the bout on Sunday.

According to the report of Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), on Sunday, one person was killed and 11 others were injured when a bullet hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

The Houthi attack on the same airport on Saturday left 13 dead and more than 300 wounded, which is the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for all four attacks on Saudi airports before Sunday's attack, for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Alvarez, who has won multiple world titles at multiple weights, will face WBC super middleweight champion M'billi in a highly anticipated bout.

"Canelo reached out to me and told me he's still fighting in Riyadh this October no matter what," Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia's Public Entertainment Authority, wrote in a social media post. He [Alvarez] is not afraid of anything.

The Mexican boxer, a two-time undefeated super middleweight champion, has not fought since being defeated by trans-American Crawford in September 2025.