Alvarez Reclaims Super Middleweight Belt

Canelo Alvarez secured his place back in the upper tier of the sport this week, landing at No. 9 in the pound-for-pound rankings. The move follows his unanimous decision victory over Christian Mbilli on Saturday, a win that allowed Alvarez to reclaim the WBC super middleweight title.

Alvarez had been out of the ring for 13 months prior to the fight. He recovered from elbow surgery and digested a loss to Terence Crawford, who stripped him of the undisputed championship at 168 pounds before retiring in September of last year. Questions lingered about whether the 36-year-old veteran could maintain his elite status after such a long break and a high-profile defeat.

The bout showcased Alvarez’s tactical adjustments. He managed Mbilli’s aggressive style by limiting exchanges in the later rounds. The fighter relied on a stiff jab and precise counterpunching to control the distance. His head movement remained sharp, allowing him to dictate the pace and dominate the second half of the contest.

Alvarez now stands at 64-3-2 with 35 knockouts. He has expressed interest in rematches with Crawford and Dmitry Bivol. His record includes a period where he held the undisputed title and topped the rankings for three consecutive years. He turned professional at age 15 and has been a central figure in the sport for over a decade.

The rest of the top ten remained largely stable. Naoya Inoue held the No. 1 spot following a unanimous decision win over Junto Nakatani in May. That fight drew 55,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome, the largest boxing event in Japanese history. Jesse Rodriguez stayed at No. 2 after winning the WBA bantamweight title in the sixth round against Antonio Vargas.

David Benavidez held the No. 3 position after knocking out Gilberto Ramirez at cruiserweight. He is scheduled to fight Michael Cieslak on Dec. 12. Shakur Stevenson remained at No. 4 despite being inactive since leaving Zuffa Boxing in October. Oleksandr Usyk stayed at No. 5 after vacating his heavyweight titles in June.

Bivol sits at No. 6 ahead of his Dec. 12 return against Callum Smith. Jaron Ennis and O'Shaquie Foster also hold top ten spots. Devin Haney rose to No. 8 after becoming a three-division champion. He has agreed to fight Liam Paro in December to unify welterweight belts.