On Tuesday I asked over Twitter which fight people were most looking forward to -- outside of the battle for the undisputed light heavyweight crown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol --on the upcoming boxing schedule. Quite frankly, at this point the ledger is a bit lacking in overall quality.
But I was reminded that Christian Mbilli is in action this Saturday from the Centre Videotron from Quebec City on ESPN.
A couple of weeks ago I listed Mbilli as part of my newest 'Fab Five'. Boxers who are must-see viewing in my opinion. I said about him: 'Mbilli, is a guy that not only goes about things like he's double-parked, but also robbing a bank. From the very moment the bell rings for round one, he jumps out at his opponents, and throws everything he can -- including the kitchen sink.'
https://snac.com/blogs/k-9-kims-corner/the-new-fab-five
This weekend he faces the experienced Sergiy Derevyanchenko in what should be an all-action affair. Should Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) get past him, a title shot next, right?
Top Rank
Well, not necessarily. The reality is that Mbilli with his two-fisted, hard-hitting pressure style, is a guy that marquee names will not face willingly. He has to be a mandatory for a champion to get inside the ring with him.
''So far it's been like that," admitted the head of Eye of the Tiger, Camille Estephan, who has promoted Mbilli from the beginning of his pro career in 2017. "He's avoided, he's not a big name. He hasn't had the visibility. Now he's getting it."
Eye of the Tiger is now in a partnership with Top Rank. And with that, Mbilli gets showcased on ESPN on prime time.
Christian Mbilli: The Next Big Thing | FULL EPISODE
"He obviously has strong credentials with his last few performances," continued Estephan. "And if he can deliver a standout performance against Derevyanchenko, I think he'll become a must-face fighter. So at that point he brings something to the table. Obviously, we don't want to look past Derevyanchenko."
Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) is the walking definition of 'quality losses' as the blemishes on this ledger have come versus: Danny Jacobs, Jermall Charlo, Gennadiy Golovkin, Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia. A couple of those decision losses were hotly disputed. "He's probably the best 15-5 guy ever in the history of boxing," quipped Estephan.
The reason they tabbed Derevyanchenko is very simple according to him, "credibility."
Vincent Ethier
"When ESPN offered us three names, I immediately told (my trainer) Marc (Ramsey) : 'We want Derevyanchenko.' I've been following his career since I was 15. He defeated many elite boxers from the French team, but unfortunately turned professional when I moved up to seniors," said Mbilli.
There is no doubt that Derevyanchenko has the deepest pedigree of any of his past opponents, and the best offensive arsenal. Mbilli understands the task at hand. "I've extensively analyzed Derevyanchenko's fights to perfect my technique. It's an honor for me to fight him, and I intend to thank him by giving him the toughest fight of his life. It's going to be a war on August 17th, you don't want to miss it."
If Mbilli should do his job on Saturday night inside the ring, it will then be up to Estephan and the like to theirs outside of it. Looking at the current rankings, Mbilli is ranked third by the WBO, third by the IBF (which was recently vacated by Saul Alvarez), number one by the WBC (who is up to their usual machinations with 'Canelo'' as their champion, and David Benavidez holding their 'interim' status), and the WBA has him second.
The goal will try and get a mandatory challenge ordered. But that's easier said than done. The reality is that the sanctioning bodies often serve as protectors for boxers who are earners for them.
"That's just the way the business works. When you're on top of the mountain, you get certain advantages. You become like the home team," stated a realistic, Estephan. "So you've got to expect it. It will work in our favor one day, hopefully."
According to Estephan, other boxers have avoided Mbilli. The reality is that at this moment, he is way too much risk, for way too little reward.
Eye of the Tiger
"Definitely, all of 'em," he stated, "If we exclude 'Canelo', because he chooses who he wants to fight -- and if I put myself in his team's shoes, I'd do the same thing. Kudos to them, I have nothing but the utmost respect for this guy. But everybody else... tell me a name and yes. I mean we wanted (Diego) Pacheco, we wanted (Edgar) Berlanga. We wanted everybody.
"We had the budget, it wasn't like the money wasn't there. We decided to go all-in on this guy."
Estephan makes it clear they are not overlooking Derevyanchenko. But should Mbilli come out victorious, moving forward the goal is very simple.
"Our target is going to be big names."
3KR
This week on 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', Mario Lopez and I discuss the barn burner between Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk, and Angelo Leo's big victory:
THE 3 KNOCKDOWN RULE EPISODE 56 | BOHACHUK VS ORTIZ
To subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, click on the Linktree:
3knockdownrule - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree
FINAL FLURRIES
Also on this card from Canada is blue-chip prospect, Abdullah Mason... An 'EOTT' prospect that Estephan is very high on is super middleweight, Osley Iglesias (11-0, 10 KOs), who faces Sena Agbeko on this show...A crossroads heavyweight class is the semi-main between Arslanbek Makhmudov and Guido Vianello...Hey, next week is Week 0 for college football!!... I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
