RIYADH — A world title fight scheduled for the upcoming Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez versus Christian Mbilli card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, faces significant uncertainty after the WBA refused to approve the co-main event. Jaime Munguia had been slated to defend his WBA super-middleweight title against Nikita Zon, but the sanctioning body issued a formal statement confirming the bout has not received authorization.
“The WBA has not approved the Jaime Munguia vs. Nikita Zon bout. Bektemir Melikuziev is the official contender in the super middleweight division. The WBA will review the situation,” the organization stated. The intervention follows reports that Melikuziev has rejected a step-aside deal. Melikuziev publicly addressed the situation on social media, stating, “Jaime Munguia, I was the mandatory for the title before you fought for it. You became the champion, respect me just like I would respect you.”
Should the WBA maintain its stance, Munguia faces the prospect of being removed from the card to honor his mandatory defense or potentially vacating the belt he won five months ago. This development complicates the ‘Mexico vs The World’ event, which also features Rafael Espinoza defending his WBO featherweight title against Lorenzo Parra and a vacant IBF super-lightweight title bout between Lindolfo Delgado and Artur Biyarslanov.
The status of the event remains under scrutiny as organizers navigate both regulatory hurdles and broader concerns regarding the regional security environment in Riyadh. The situation surrounding Munguia’s title defense mirrors previous challenges regarding mandatory obligations, as detailed in our report on Jaime Munguia's title vacancy issues.