So, you’re trying to figure out at what time does Canelo fight because, let’s be honest, nobody wants to be the person frantically refreshing Twitter (or X, whatever) while the main event is already halfway through the fourth round.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is basically the sun in the boxing solar system; everything revolves around him. But after that heavy loss to Terence Crawford back in September 2025 and a subsequent elbow surgery that put him on the shelf, the schedule got a bit weird. The good news? The wait is almost over. We finally have a concrete date and a very specific location that is going to make the "start time" math a little tricky for those of us sitting on our couches in the States.
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The Big Date: September 12, 2026
Turki Alalshikh basically broke the internet recently by confirming that Canelo is returning on September 12, 2026. He’s sticking to his tradition of fighting around Mexican Independence Day, but there’s a massive twist this time. He isn’t fighting in the neon glow of Las Vegas.
Instead, the "Mexico Against the World" card is happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This is a huge deal. It’s the official launch of Canelo Promotions, and since it’s a "Riyadh Season" event, you can expect the production value to be somewhere between a Super Bowl halftime show and a blockbuster movie premiere. But because it’s in Saudi Arabia, the question of "at what time does Canelo fight" becomes a game of time zones.
Breaking Down the Time Zones
Usually, when Canelo fights at the MGM Grand or T-Mobile Arena, we know the drill: ring walks happen around 11:30 PM ET. But with Riyadh being 8 hours ahead of New York and 11 hours ahead of Los Angeles, things shift.
Based on how previous Riyadh Season "mega-cards" have been structured (think back to the Crawford fight or the "Day of Reckoning"), they generally aim for a primetime slot in the UK and a late-morning or afternoon slot in the US.
- Main Card Start: Expect the undercard to kick off around 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT.
- Canelo Ring Walk (Estimated): Historically, for these Saudi events, the main event walk-outs happen around 5:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM PT.
That is a weird time for a boxing match if you're used to staying up until 1:00 AM. Basically, you're looking at a "Day Party" vibe rather than a late-night bar crawl. If you're in Mexico City, you're looking at a roughly 4:30 PM start for the main event.
Why the Delay? The Road to Recovery
You might be wondering why we have to wait until September. Honestly, Canelo needed the break. After the Crawford fight—which, let's face it, was a masterclass by "Bud"—Canelo revealed he’d been dealing with a nagging elbow injury. He went under the knife in October 2025.
Taking a full year off is the longest layoff of his career since the gap between the first and second GGG fights back in 2017-2018. At 35 (he'll be 36 by fight night), his body just doesn't bounce back like it did when he was a teenager fighting in small halls in Guadalajara.
Who Is He Fighting?
This is the part where everyone starts arguing. The opponent hasn't been officially named yet, but the rumor mill is spinning fast. Since it's a "Mexico Against the World" theme, it’s almost certain he’ll be facing a non-Mexican powerhouse.
- Christian Mbilli: This guy is a beast. He’s been knocking people out left and right and is a top contender for the WBC super middleweight title. If he wins his interim bout earlier in the year, he’s the logical choice.
- Hamzah Sheeraz: The British tall-man. He’s huge for the weight class and just dismantled Edgar Berlanga in a way that made Canelo’s win over Berlanga look like a light sparring session.
- The Crawford Rematch: People want it. Canelo wants revenge. But Crawford’s retirement rumors make this a "maybe" at best.
How to Watch the Return
Gone are the days when you just called your cable provider for a PPV. For the 2026 return, you’ll likely need a DAZN subscription or access to whatever platform Turki Alalshikh partners with (we saw Netflix jump into the game recently, too).
Because it's a Canelo Promotions event, expect the "all-access" content to be top-tier. They’ll be filming everything from his camp in Lake Tahoe to his arrival in Riyadh.
Quick Checklist for Fight Day:
- Check the Official Announcement: About two weeks before Sept 12, the "running order" will be released. That’s when the "at what time does Canelo fight" question gets a definitive, down-to-the-minute answer.
- Set Your Alarms: If you’re on the West Coast, remember this is a lunchtime fight. Don't plan a big hike for 2:00 PM unless you have a 5G signal and a portable charger.
- Prepare for Riyadh Pacing: These cards are long. Saudi events often have 8 to 10 fights. If the card starts at 2:00 PM ET, don't expect Canelo to touch gloves until at least three or four hours later.
Basically, keep your Saturday afternoon clear. This isn't just a fight; it's the beginning of the final act of a legendary career. Whether he’s still the "Face of Boxing" or passing the torch is what we’re all paying to see.
Pro Tip: Follow the Riyadh Season and Canelo Promotions social accounts about 48 hours before the fight. They usually post the "local" ring walk times, and you can just plug those into a world clock app to be 100% sure you don't miss the first bell. Regardless of the opponent, a Canelo return is always the biggest show in town, even if that town is halfway across the globe.
Stay tuned for the official opponent announcement, which is expected to drop sometime in late spring or early summer after the next wave of super-middleweight eliminators finishes up. Keep your schedule open for mid-September; the "King" is coming back.