Sunday Convo: Is Christian Mbilli Part of Canelo’s 2025 Vision?

Saturday night was supposed to be the moment when super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) formally announced his presence to the mainstream audience of ESPN with a decisive victory over the battle-tested Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-6, 10 KOs). While Mbilli did get the unanimous decision victory and showed how dangerous of a contender he can be against the top contenders, it came with an asterisk as his opponent Derevyanchenko blew his bicep muscle in the fourth round, making him a one-armed fighter for six rounds. Regardless, Mbilli secured the victory, but did that performance put him in line for the super middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs)?

Mbilli Was Good, But Was It Good Enough?

Throughout the fight, Mbilli, from Yaounde, Cameroon, appeared to be the bigger, stronger fighter, as his punches greatly impacted Dervyanchenko, who was all heart last night. During the middle rounds, Mbilli’s active style caught up to him a bit, and he slowed down, which created few but effective moments for Derevyanchenko. In the seventh round, Derevyanchenko hurt Mbilli, but he could not follow up with more than just right punches with his left arm badly damaged. Mbilli went ten rounds with one of the toughest fighters in the division but couldn’t secure the stoppage that would have propelled him to the front of the line toward a shot at Canelo.

Mbilli’s Immediate Future Could Be Against A Mexican Fighter Not Named Canelo 

While Mbilli feels that he should be fighting Canelo next, he likely won’t be, and the only way to get to a fight with the super middleweight king is to get his attention. That would mean convincingly beating someone like Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs). Why Munguia? He recently signed a deal with Top Rank and is fighting on September 20 against Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs), a fighter promoted by Eye of the Tiger, who also promotes Mbilli. If Munguia gets past Bazinyan, the next likely fight will be against Mbilli during the first quarter of 2025. That is an all-action fight that will be must-see TV on ESPN. If Mbilli can get past Munguia, he will have the resume and style that could land him the Canelo fight in September 2025.

What’s Next For Derevyanchenko?

No one wants to tell a fighter they should retire, but at 38, there is nothing left for Derevyanchenko to prove in boxing. He’s not going to get a title shot, and Saturday night was likely his last big fight. Continuing his career would only mean receiving more punishment from younger, stronger fighters, and with his bicep injury, that’s a sign of his body telling him that it’s time to consider doing something else. He gave us some great fights, but now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor with his family.

My Three Cents

Mbilli is a great fighter to watch, as his all-action style attracts hardcore fans and the casuals. His often reckless approach to working himself inside would be why Canelo could be interested in a fight with him. Mbilli now has to beef up his resume to make financial sense for all parties, and a victory over Munguia can likely do that. Will Mbilli become part of Canelo’s 2025 vision? If he continues to earn victories against proven contenders, he may very well be, which would be an exciting matchup for as long as it lasts.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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