Oscar De La Hoya says Canelo Alvarez is approaching the end of his career and has only a few fights left, with a reported September bout against Christian Mbilli part of that late-stage run. The fight has been described as a done deal and is targeted for Mexican Independence Day weekend in September 2026, though no exact date has been officially confirmed.
“Every fighter has their peak, and then you start to see the exit clear, and Canelo is right there,” De La Hoya said. “He’s a few fights away from retirement.” He added, “I don’t blame him for taking the money and running,” and said Alvarez still has “a few good fights left in him against great fighters.”
The comments land as Alvarez, 35, comes off left elbow surgery and a decisive loss to Crawford, a fight in which he looked stagnant in the championship rounds. Christian Mbilli, 31, is described as a high-volume puncher, and a meeting in Riyadh would put Alvarez against the sort of pressure fighter that has defined some of the toughest nights of his career. That backdrop is why the reported Mbilli fight matters now: it reads less like a fresh start than another step toward the finish.
De La Hoya’s assessment also fits the larger shape of Alvarez’s schedule, which has been moving toward a return after surgery and a high-profile run of late-career bouts. A separate report said Alvarez was expected back in September after the elbow procedure, while another noted Mbilli had been lined up for the title shot after the loss to Crawford. If the reported September 2026 bout holds, it would place Canelo squarely in the final stretch of a career that has already begun to feel finite.
