Canelo vs Mbilli Still On in Riyadh Despite US Embassy Evacuation
The October 31 WBC title fight in Riyadh is going ahead even as the US orders non-emergency embassy staff out of Saudi Arabia.
Canelo Alvarez will defend his WBC super middleweight title against Christian Mbilli on October 31 at The Venue in Riyadh, and as of today the fight is still on. That is remarkable given what is happening around it.
The US State Department ordered non-emergency employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on October 21, citing Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian airports and critical infrastructure. Spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the ordered departure, calling it limited to "non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only."
The security situation has been escalating since a missile struck King Khalid International Airport on October 10. On October 21, Saudi air defenses shot down a drone targeting the Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province. Falling debris killed two workers and injured two others, per Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said five drones were intercepted that day targeting Medina and the Eastern Region.
Lufthansa and Air France have cancelled Riyadh service through mid-November. The US travel advisory for Saudi Arabia sits at Level 3: Reconsider Travel.
Despite all of this, Riyadh Season chairman Turki Alalshikh posted the Canelo-Mbilli face-off graphic and told fans to book tickets. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman called the situation "totalmente irresponsable" but said he still expects to travel at the end of the month. Trainer Robert Garcia is the only fight participant to publicly express concern about the trip.
Tickets are on sale. The card is four days away. Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season are not blinking.
I have been to Riyadh for fights. I have walked through those arenas with thousands of fans, eaten the food, taken in the spectacle. Turki Alalshikh puts on a hell of a show. But I would not be on a plane to Saudi Arabia right now.
Missiles hitting airports. Drones over oil fields. Two people dead from debris. The US Embassy telling its own people to leave. And the fight card's response is: book your tickets. That is not toughness. That is a business calculation, and the fighters and their teams are the ones absorbing the risk.
Canelo is 36 and chasing legacy. He is not going to pull out. Mbilli wants the biggest fight of his life. Neither guy is walking away from this payday. But the WBC should not be sending judges and referees into an active conflict zone for a boxing match. Sulaiman called it irresponsible and he is right. The question is whether calling it irresponsible while still showing up means anything at all.
