Canelo vs Mbilli Undercard Title Fight in Jeopardy

Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli appears set to lose a key undercard bout on fight week.

Alvarez is always a big draw atop any pay-per-view card, and his country is even more invested in the 'Mexico vs. The World' promotional concept. Four world title fights at the end of the night gave the event more widespread appeal.

However, the event is in danger of losing one of its championship bouts. Lindolfo Delgado, who is slated to face Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF super lightweight title on the main card, is not yet in Saudi Arabia and has no plans currently in place to get on-site. The fight is now in danger and "probably not" going to happen, per boxing reporter Dan Rafael.

At press time, the fight is still on and has not yet been canceled.

Delgado is the first featured fighter on the card to experience travel issues due to the fight being in Saudi Arabia. The ongoing war in the Middle East has raised multiple red flags about the fight taking place in Riyadh due to safety concerns in the area.

While Alvarez previously stated that the fight would not move locations, American-based fighters like Delgado still face many hurdles flying into the Middle East, where the US Embassy recently evacuated all non-emergency government employees. Although born and raised in Mexico, Delgado is currently training with Robert Garcia in California.

According to Rafael, Biyarslanov is already on-site and preparing for the fight. There was no word on whether the IBF would sanction a potential last-minute replacement if Delgado withdraws. If that is the direction the organization goes, Turki Alalshikh and company might find it difficult to pin down another Mexican fighter on short notice to maintain the initial concept.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian M'Billi still proceeding in Saudi Arabia

Despite the constant concerns about the location, there have never been any plans to move the long-awaited fight card from Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season have not budged, and Alvarez's backing keeps the event at the Kingdom Arena.

Even if Delgado falls out, the event still carries three other title fights, including the high-stakes main event. WBA super middleweight champion Jaime Munguia defends his title against Nikita Zon in the co-main event, and Rafael Espinoza returns to defend the WBO super flyweight belt against Ricardo Blanton.

Former super bantamweight world title challenger David Picasso also returns early on the main card against undefeated prospect Carl Martin.