ALTHOUGH Canelo Alvarez stands alone as the dominant, soon-to-be undisputed champion of the super-middleweight division, that is not to say that there are no intriguing fights to be made without his involvement. A host of 168-pounders are busy jostling for the opportunity to face him down the line.
One of those men is reigning WBC interim champion, Diego Pacheco, 23-0 (18 KOs), who hopes to someday dethrone and succeed Alvarez as the poster boy at the weight. For now, the undefeated Californian is poised for his toughest test to date, after being ordered to take on unbeaten Frenchman, Christian Mbilli, 28-0 (23 KOs).
A clash between Canelo and Pacheco has been mentioned often over the last 12 months. Still, with the champion’s 2025 already mapped out (facing William Scull in May and Terence Crawford in September), any such showdown would likely take place in 2026.
Having previously revealed concerns over Pacheco’s lack of experience ahead of that fight, promoter Eddie Hearn will be thankful for the extra preparation time. Yet, the WBC’s decision to order the 24-year-old to face the highly-rated Mbilli means that Pacheco could jump in at the deep end sooner than he and Hearn would like.
On social media, Mbilli’s promoter Camille Estephan revealed that the contest will go to purse bids on April 8, after failures to make the fight in recent weeks.
“Update: Mbilli VS Pacheco. The WBC orders the call for tenders for April 8 at noon. For now, we continue to work, work, work! Success is the sum of efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
Confirmation of Pacheco-Mbilli has simultaneously put the nail in the coffin of the all-French scrap between Mbilli and Kevin Lele Sadjo, 24-0 (21 KOs), after the pair previously agreed a deal to collide in an IBF eliminator, only for the bout to collapse due to financial complications.
However, present rumours suggest that Sadjo will appear on the Pacheco-Mbilli undercard, touted for May, in a high-octane match-up with Cuba’s Osleys Iglesias, 13-0 (12 KOs). That is part of a salivating double-header that consists of four undefeated super-middleweight contenders.
