Missile alert before the press conference – then Canelo: "I don't believe in shortcuts"
Shortly before the final press conference for Canelo vs Mbilli, phones in Riyadh warned of an aerial threat. The all-clear came after about 20 minutes – Saturday's world title fight remains on.
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At around 9pm local time on Thursday, mobile phones in Riyadh received an emergency alert warning of a "hostile aerial threat". Canelo Álvarez and Christian Mbilli were already at the arena. The alert was lifted after about 20 minutes, Saudi Civil Defense gave the all-clear and the press conference went ahead. According to the state news agency SPA, cited by Athlon Sports, two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis were intercepted; falling debris caused minor injuries to one person.
On the dais Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was defiant. "I don't believe in shortcuts," he said, according to Yahoo Sports. "I want to be a champion again, and I want to face the best." According to Athlon Sports, he added: "I'm the challenger now, but guess what? Always in my mind, I'm the champion since I was a little kid." Champion Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) replied: "I'm ready to shock the world. Saturday will be a different story, and I'm coming for the win."
Canelo's trainer Eddy Reynoso noted that the press conference fell on the 21st anniversary of Canelo's professional debut. The weigh-in is on Friday, and on Saturday in Riyadh Mbilli's WBC super middleweight title is on the line (DAZN).