Super middleweight contender, Christian Mbilli, remained unbeaten on Saturday night at the Centre Videotron by defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko over 10 entertaining and eventful rounds. But in winning in his trademark exciting style, Mbilli showed something.
That he's vulnerable.
And that is not a knock on him.
I want to make this clear, Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) is still one of my favorite fighters. When he performs, mayhem ensues, and the audience gets treated to a night of real fisticuffs
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
But while the scorecards for this fight were wide in favor of Mbilli (100-90, 99-91 and 98-92) they do not tell the whole story of this bout, which was broadcast on ESPN. Derevyenchenko (15-6, KOs) busted his left bicep in the third frame, and despite this handicap, he was able to trouble Mbilli at times.
While he clearly won this contest, at times Mbilli not only got touched up by a one-armed opponent, he was buzzed late in the fight. It gave you pause, and made you think: how would he fare against the upper echelon of the super middleweight division? The fact is that Derevyanchenko is a natural '60-pounder, who is 38 years old, near the end of his career.
Before this bout, the majority of pundits believed that his swarming style would be too much for a guy like Jaime Munguia. I saw more than a few tweets afterwards where they changed their minds. As for the cash cow of the division -- and really, the whole business -- Saul Alvarez probably didn't see anything that he should fear.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
But this is not an indictment of Mbilli. He is who he is. A guy that will come out swinging, and keep throwing for as long as he can. Yeah, he may be flawed, but that's part of his appeal. We have plenty of guys who practice 'the sweet science' and throw no-hitters. Mbilli is a hit-and-get-hit guy.
As one of my followers came on my X timeline and stated that what Mbilli is is the modern day 'Beast'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viSG_1Zivs4
I can't disagree with this assessment. Mugabi was an all-action banger in the mid-80's, who was rated number one across the board as he faced the great Marvin Hagler. At the time his record stood at 25-0 (25 KOs), and he proceeded to give 'Marvelous' one of his toughest nights at the office. Eventually he succumbed to a 'Marvelous' two-fisted attack and was halted in the 11th.
After this valiant effort, Mugabi was never quite the same. But his bouts were always pretty eventful, and he did win a world title a few years later when Rene Jacquot for the WBC junior middleweight title. His prime came to an end when the upstart Terry Norris iced him in one in 1990. No, it wasn't a great career, but it was certainly one that was memorable, and enjoyed by boxing fans.
If that's what the 29-year old Mbilli becomes, would we complain?
MASON
I'm trying to not get too excited by what I'm seeing from lightweight prospect, Abdullah Mason, who improved to 15-0 (13 KOs), by taking out Mike Ohan (19-2, 9 KOs) in two rounds on this undercard. It was another sterling effort from Mason who scored knockdowns in the first and second rounds, before the fight was waved off.
Abdullah Mason SMOKES Mike Ohan Jr. In Two | FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS
From the moment that Mason signed with Top Rank, I was told that this quicksilver southpaw was a legitimate blue-chip prospect, I can say that I've watched every round of his pro career and has not disappointed. In my view he's as good as any American prospect today.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
But keep this in mind, he's still just 20 years old, and is feasting on the adroit matchmaking provided by Top Rank. So yeah, you could say that he's hitting .400 against double-A pitching. I get it. But thus far, I like what I see.
Time will tell if he's Ken Griffey Jr. or Shawn Abner.
FINAL FLURRIES
Guido Vianello is back in the heavyweight mix as he scored an eighth round TKO of Arslanbek Makhmudov.... Super middleweight, Osley Iglesias, is another young boxer to keep an eye on. He improved to 12-0 (11 KOs) by knocking out Sena Agbeko in two...The countdown to 'Week O' for college football begins. Florida St. faces Georgia Tech from Dublin, Ireland... I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
