Christian Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) says he wants the winner of the September 13th superfight between Canelo Alvarez after he deals with the undefeated super middleweight contender Lester Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) on the undercard of that event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The 2016 Olympian Mbilli, 30, holds the WBC interim 168-lb title and is in a great position to fight the last man standing in the Canelo-Crawford money-fight on Netflix. It’ll take an extraordinary performance for Mbilli, like his last one against Maciej Sulecki, for him to strengthen his spot to fight the winner of that fight.
Mbilli didn’t look impressive in his 10-round unanimous decision win over the injured, one-armed Sergiy Derevyanchenko last year on August 17, 2024. That was a similar lackluster effort for Mbilli as he showed against Rohan Murdock last year on January 13, 2024. A volume-puncher by trade, Mbilli left himself open frequently and was staggered twice by Murdock. Derevyanchenko was landing at will with his uninjured right hand.
Mbilli’s Plan
“I am ready to put on a big show for this event and send a message that I am the next guy that will face the winner of Canelo-Crawford,” said Christian Mbilli to Ring Magazine, talking about wanting the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford victor next, provided he wins his undercard bout against unbeaten Lester Martinez on September 13th.
“It’s the fight of my life, but I’m ready to show the world how great I am,” said Mbilli about his clash against the 29-year-old Guatemalan native Martinez.
The Competition for the Winner
Turki Alalshikh has already mentioned that his candidates to be the next foe for Canelo will be #1 WBC-ranked Hamzah Sheeraz or the winner of the November 15th rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn. Mbilli isn’t expected to get the gig unless Turki changes his mind.
Some fans on social media believe #3 IBF Osleys Iglesias would be a better option to fight the winner of the Canelo vs. Crawford fight. Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs) has the punching power and amateur pedigree from his years on the Cuban National team to fight Canelo or Crawford and do well.
Last Updated on 08/27/2025
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