‘For Her,’ Christian Mbilli Remembers His Late Mother

On Saturday, Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will put his WBC super-middleweight title on the line against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs). However, this isn’t a mere title defense for Mbilli; it’s one he wishes to fight for his mother.

As he spoke to DAZN News, Mbilli’s eyes glistened as he opened up about how much the fight would have meant to his mother.

“For me, it’s very difficult because I’m like this to my goal. I’m not very far to my goal, and she’s not here to see this, to have this moment with me,” he said.

His mother, Marie-Thérèse, died in July 2026, only months after Mbilli had finally reached the position he had spent years chasing. While the details surrounding the cause of her death have not been publicly disclosed, he has been open about what she meant to him and how devastating the loss has been. Calling her his “first fan”, Mbilli recalled that, despite initially wanting him to pursue a different path than boxing, she was visibly proud of him after every victory.

What makes the Canelo fight particularly poignant is that Mbilli had been talking to his mother about this exact matchup for four or five years, with her always responding with encouragement.

“For many years I was telling my mother that I’m going to fight Canelo, I’m going to beat Canelo, I’m going to be world champion, and she was supporting me a lot. She said to me, you are able to beat Canelo; you have everything to beat this guy,” he said. “It’s a very big motivation for me to win this fight for her.”

“It’s My Story”

Growing up poor, Mbilli has often spoken about how his mother struggled to raise him. But he doesn’t want to see these struggles as a bitter memory; he sees them as the driving forces behind his success.

“Of course, it’s my story. It makes me stay strong because I came from the bottom to be here right now. I had a very difficult life. My mother and me, we had a very difficult life, and to be here. I’m very happy with what I accomplished with me and my mother, and it’s a big motivation to look at the past and see my difficult life when I was young, and now I have a better life,” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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