On Saturday night, Christian Mbilli competes in his first world title bout.
He does so as the reigning WBC super-middleweight world champion, and takes on four-division conqueror and Mexican superstar, Canelo Alvarez. Ahead of the clash, Mbilli told Boxing News that he is already preparing to offer Canelo a rematch in anticipation of a career-best win this weekend.
Last year, Cameroonian-born, France-representative Mbilli told Boxing News he was frustrated at his lack of opportunity ahead of a clash with Maciej Sulecki in Quebec City.
He won the clash by first-round knockout to get his hands on the WBC Interim title and now, following just one additional outing against Lester Martinez, Mbilli is days away from one of the most lucrative fights in the sport; a showdown with Canelo as a defending world champion.
Admittedly, Alvarez is not the pound-for-pound king that he was just years ago his most recent displays – scraping past William Scull and then losing to Terence Crawford – have convinced many fight fans that Father Time may have caught up with the 68-fight veteran. Yet, whilst his abilities may have faded, his name remains, and that is what Mbilli is chasing.
Prior to that Crawford defeat, Canelo’s eight-fight streak of winning via decision raised its own alarm bells, despite him being victorious over the likes of Edgar Berlanga, Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia.
Although, speaking to Boxing News, Mbilli did not blame Canelo for being unable to halt that trio. Instead, he suggested that all three were in ‘survival mode’ and ‘content’ simply going 12 rounds with such a legend – something that he is not. In contrast, his plan is to take the fight to the 36-year-old and test how much he truly wants to regain his title.
“I will bring a mixture of pressure and hunger. You saw with Charlo, Berlanga, and Munguia, they were getting in survival mode early and being content to just go 12 [rounds] with him. I won’t do that, I came [here] to fight and I came to win.
“Of course, Canelo is still a big puncher, but everybody who saw me fight knows that I’m the kind of fighter who turns on the heat even more after receiving a big punch. Even if Crawford outboxed him, I think we haven’t seen Canelo in a firefight for a very long time.”
Over the years, Alvarez, 63-3-2 (39 KOs), has faced all kinds of styles and a plethora of knockout artists, Gennadiy Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev and Miguel Cotto to name just a few. That being said, Mbilli is correct in suggesting that Canelo’s heart has not been tested for a number of years; so often the masterful dictator of pace, but rarely pushing it and forcing the ‘firefight’ that Mbilli hopes to initiate.
Mbilli, who boasts 24 stoppages in his 29 career wins to date, recognised that his punch power will be nothing new to the experienced challenger. However, he believes that the way in which he uses that power still makes him a unique obstacle to overcome.
“I’d say I punch differently [to his past opponents]. I think my brand is to generate a lot of power on the inside, and throw this power shots in volume. So I’d say, I don’t think Canelo as fight someone who’s as good at me at what I do.”
Finally, Mbilli reiterated his confidence ahead of fight night, not only planning on success in Riyadh this weekend but also in a rematch in early 2027, before accepting a potential in-house unification with Eye of the Tiger stablemate and IBF super-middleweight world champion, Osleys Iglesias.
“I will get my hand raised on October 31. That being said, if I really want to get active, I’ll give him his rematch in February, or even in May [on Cinco De Mayo], whenever it’s best.
“I am not sure about what’s next, as I’m really focused on Canelo right now, adding to the fact that I might have to give him a rematch after.
“That being said, I’m down for any big fight once the Canelo chapter is done. We will see how the cards play out, but if Iglesias and I can meet for the undisputed crown, I think it would be the dream fight of a lot of people.”
Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, with a pair of world champions bolstering the ‘Mexico vs. The World’ undercard in Jaime Munguia and Rafael Espinoza.
