Undefeated Christian Mbilli is on the verge of securing a world title opportunity in the super middleweight division. However, before pursuing a championship belt, the fighter based in Montreal must first overcome a challenging opponent in Maciej Sulecki. Their bout is scheduled for June 27 in Quebec City.
Mbilli, holding a record of 28 wins and no losses, with 23 victories by knockout, was born in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. At the age of 11, he moved to France and later represented his adopted country at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His Olympic journey ended in the quarter-finals with a loss to the eventual gold medallist, Arlen López.
The following year, Mbilli relocated to Canada to train under Marc Ramsay, known for coaching Artur Beterbiev. Since this move, `Solide`, as he is known, has consistently moved forward, establishing himself as one of Canada`s most popular boxers, maintaining his perfect record, and steadily climbing the rankings.
Mbilli`s career has now reached a critical stage, with the current year expected to be a transformative period for the 30-year-old. He is still seeking that definitive win that will elevate his status and capture global attention from boxing enthusiasts.
Initially, Mbilli was set to face fellow undefeated French contender Kevin Lele Sadjo. However, this highly anticipated all-French clash was canceled due to reported financial difficulties.
Following the cancellation, the WBC mandated Mbilli to compete against the highly-regarded Diego Pacheco. This intriguing matchup was intended for the sanctioning body`s vacant Interim title, with the victor positioned to be recognized as a legitimate challenger for a full world title.
Pacheco subsequently decided to pull out of the contest, opting to avoid a fight with Mbilli. Mbilli recently admitted this withdrawal was frustrating for him.
“I am a little bit frustrated, but you know, it is boxing. In boxing, it is very difficult to have big fights and the fights that you want, but I don’t care, I have a good team who is working very hard for me. My team have made this fight happen with Sulecki for the WBC Interim, and I am happy to have this fight on June 27.”
Stepping in to fill the void is Maciej Sulecki, who carries a record of 33 wins and 3 losses, with 13 knockouts. Sulecki will attempt to inflict the first professional defeat on Mbilli and position himself for a second shot at a world title. His previous attempt came in June 2019, when he lost a points decision to WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade.
However, Sulecki will need to deliver a significantly improved performance compared to his last visit to North America in August 2024, where he suffered his first career stoppage loss. Despite this, Mbilli believes he doesn`t need to necessarily outperform Pacheco`s effort against Sulecki, though he asserts that he is the most formidable opponent Sulecki has ever faced.
“I don’t have any pressure [to better Pacheco’s performance] in this fight. The only pressure that I have is to make a good fight, to bring a big show for boxing fans.”
“Every fight right now is very important, and this fighter has a good style. He [Sulecki] is a very good fighter, and I think that he is going to help me push myself and become a better boxer.”
“For me, I think that I am the best boxer that he has fought. He has fought Danny Jacobs, Demetrius Andrade, and Pacheco, but I think that I am the best. I am going to show this on June 27.”
While confident of securing a convincing victory, Mbilli remains aware of the dangers posed by Sulecki. He emphasized that his objective is not merely to win, but also to provide entertainment for the audience.
“He is very risky, he is very tough, and he puts a lot of pressure on,” Mbilli said. “He can be sneaky too; I think that I have to be very careful because he can box too and he can put pressure on. I don’t know the strategy that he is going to bring to the ring, but I think that I have to be very careful with this fight.”
“I want to give a boxing show to the fans; I want to give them a very big show and a good fight. I don’t want my fight to be like the last fight of Canelo (against William Scull), I want to show the fans that boxing is spectacular, it is not a dance.”
A win for Mbilli in this upcoming bout would not only earn him the WBC Interim title but also secure his position as the mandatory challenger for the winner of the highly anticipated undisputed title fight in September between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Should Canelo emerge victorious from that clash, Mbilli reiterated that becoming a world champion is his ultimate ambition. He promised to deliver a `spectacular` performance if his path to that goal requires him to defeat Canelo.
“I think that Canelo will win this fight,” he predicted. “Canelo is too big, and I don’t know how Crawford is right now, but I think that it is too much for Crawford to go up two divisions.”
“Right now, the number one thing is that I want to be a world champion, and number two is that I want to be the best in the division. If Canelo gives me my chance, then I would be very happy to beat him. If he leaves the WBC then that is good, but right now I want to be number one, and I also want Canelo too.”
“I am going to keep quiet about my strategy to beat Canelo, but of course it would be more spectacular than his last fight with Scull!”
