Canelo Alvarez marshalled Christian Mbilli as he reclaimed the WBC super-middleweight world championship he used to hold.
The Mexican superstar won the title beating Mbilli by unanimous decision in Riyadh.
Canelo was returning to boxing a year after his stunning loss to Terence Crawford and went straight in with a strong, previously undefeated world champion.
Mbilli did press Alvarez in the first half of the fight. He threw in busy bursts and moved Canelo into the ropes.
But Canelo began to exert increasing control of the action from the sixth round onwards.
With brilliant skill he used a right uppercut to open a path for a hard right cross. He grew more comfortable on the ropes, working with counter-punches, and his vicious uppercut made Mbilli wary.
In the eighth round Canelo finished a four-punch combination with a right to the head. Mbilli drove forward and all of a sudden the referee took a point off the champion for hitting round the back of the head.
Christian Mbilli ultimately could not get to grips with Canelo. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Mbilli urgently needed to shift momentum. Instead Canelo turned the screw. Alvarez came off the ropes to work from the centre of the ring, drilling Mbilli with his right hook.
In the final round Mbilli struck in a good shot but backed off. Canelo even waved him in again, but Mbilli wouldn’t respond.
Canelo pressed forward, and Mbilli smacked him with a hard right. Canelo wanted to finish fighting and blasted home an excellent right.
He made sure of a unanimous decision, taking the win 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 on the cards.
Alvarez is a vastly experienced veteran, who’s won it all many times over in his 68-bout professional career. Yet he was delighted, almost relieved to be a world champion again.
“It’s so difficult to explain. It’s something unbelievable,” Canelo said. “Now after 21 years as a professional, 16 years ago I won my first title, now I won the title again… I want to thank everybody back home.
“I knew he was a strong fighter. He didn’t throw a lot of punches because it’s difficult to throw punches with me… I did perfectly,” he added.
“I’m going to keep learning, I’m going to keep working hard. I’m going to take a couple of weeks off and then come back.”
Canelo Alvarez was coming back after a stunning loss to Terence Crawford.
Jaime Munguia had to weather an almighty scare to carve out a unanimous decision win over Nikita Zon and defend his WBA super-middleweight title.
Zon, genuinely an awkward southpaw, found a home for heavy backhand lefts in the opening rounds. He drove Munguia to the ropes and into corners.
He was on the verge of knocking out Munguia in the sixth round. He led with a long left uppercut, badly hurting the Mexican. Munguia retreated but Zon swarmed all over him. He hammered Munguia but the champion refused to fall.
When Zon tired, Munguia hit back and he took clear control in the late rounds to win 16-112 and 117-111 twice on the scorecards.
Towering featherweight Rafael Espinoza easily dismissed replacement opponent Ricardo Blandon to retain the WBO world title.
He banged a flush cross into the top of the Nicaraguan’s head which opened up a nasty cut along Blandon’s eyelid. The ringside doctor pulled him out in the third round immediately after inspecting it.
Watch Chris Billam-Smith fight Cheavon Clarke on the stacked Zuffa Boxing 12 card live on Sky Sports on November 7.