Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Christian Mbilli both weighed in at 12st (76kg) on Friday ahead of their WBC super-middleweight title bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, just 24 hours after two ballistic missiles were intercepted over the capital.
The weigh-in proceeded with a tense but respectful face-off between the two fighters. Alvarez, 36, will make his 69th professional appearance on Saturday, 21 years after his debut on 29 October 2005. Mbilli, 31, is making the first defence of the WBC title he was elevated to in January.
"This is very important for me, I've been doing this for 21 years and won my first world title 16 years ago. It's important for me to win a title again," Alvarez said. "My experience is different, he hasn't faced anyone like me and I'll teach him tomorrow."
Security concerns have mounted after Saudi Civil Defence intercepted two ballistic missiles over Riyadh on Thursday, causing minor injuries and property damage. An earlier missile strike on King Khalid International Airport on 8 October killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia, and access to the airport has been restricted. While other sporting events in the country have been cancelled, the boxing card remains on schedule.
Cameroon-born Mbilli, who trains in Canada, is unbeaten in 30 professional fights with 29 wins, one draw and 24 stoppages. "Tomorrow night I will beat him in every way. I have the best condition and technique," Mbilli said. "A win would change my life a lot. It will be a fight of the year."
The undercard features Jaime Munguia defending the WBA super-middleweight title against Nikita Zon, and Rafael Espinoza putting his WBO featherweight belt on the line against Ricardo Blandon. Mexican Lindolfo Delgado withdrew from his bout against Artur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF light-welterweight title earlier this week.
