Canelo's Riyadh card: WBA has not approved Munguía vs Zon
The co-main event before Canelo vs Mbilli is in doubt. According to Boxing News, the WBA has not approved Jaime Munguía's title defence against Nikita Zon.
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Shortly after the undercard was announced, the card headlined by Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez against WBC champion Christian Mbilli on 31 October in Riyadh has hit a snag. "The WBA has not approved the Jaime Munguia vs. Nikita Zon bout," Boxing News quotes the sanctioning body as saying. The fight is billed as the co-main event of "Mexico vs The World".
The issue is the mandatory against the WBA's official contender, Bektemir Melikuziev, who has not accepted a step-aside offer from Team Munguía, according to Boxing News. If the WBA does not sanction the bout, Munguía would have to either drop the Zon fight and face Melikuziev or vacate his title five months after winning it, the outlet says.
The main event is unaffected: Canelo challenges Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title. According to Boxing News, however, the escalating conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia still raises the question of whether the event may have to move. Officially, it remains 31 October in Riyadh.