Camille Estephan hopes super-middleweight contender Christian Mbilli lights up Quebec’s Videotron Center in August, thus putting pressure on the division’s big names to fight him.
Mbilli is 27-0 (23 KOs) and defeated England’s Mark Heffron in 40 seconds in May. On August 17, however, he meets world-class Ukrainian veteran Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a significant step-up over 10 rounds.
Estephan clearly has high hopes for Mbilli, but knows the importance of an eye-catching win.
“We honestly feel we’ve not seen the best of him yet,” the promoter said. “I think with Derevyanchenko, who’s one of the top fighters at 168 – I don’t think there’s ever been a better fighter than this guy who has a 15 and five record. He should be like 19 and one and he only fought world champions in his last five fights, I believe, or former world champions, so he’s the real deal. It’s going to be a fight at the highest level and we’re very confident that Christian will show that he belongs in a fight with Canelo [Alvarez]; [Jaime] Munguia…”
The respected Derevyanchenko has scored 10 stoppages in his 15 victories and among his past eight opponents are Danny Jacobs, Jack Culcay, Gennady Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Carlos Adames and Jaime Munguia. He widely outscored Vaughn Alexander over 10 rounds in April, and the winner in August will be poised for a major fight in 2025.
“If the winner of the Mbilli-Derevyanchenko fight, especially if it’s a fight where he [Mbilli] can deliver what we know he has, people will be clamouring for that fight against Canelo,” Estephan said. “People will want him [Canelo] to fight him [the winner].”
On the same promotion in Quebec, heavyweights Guido Vianello and Arslanbek Makhmudov fight in an interesting collision of fringe contenders.
“It’s a great fight,” Estephan said. “They’re two punchers; two guys that have a solid chinl they can both bring a lot of firepower to the ring. This is going to be a war.
“The winner has a huge opportunity when you look at the big fights and the heavyweight scene that is happening and about to happen, then you get right back in the mix – and the guy that loses? It depends on how they lose. When you fight guys at that calibre, sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some, but maybe it depends on the performance of each.”
Top Rank’s lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason, from Ohio, and 7-0 Dzmitry Asanau, from Belarus, a two-time Olympian Estephan rates highly and is expected to take a step-up fight, also feature.
But the show could be stolen by the 11-0 (10 KOs) Cuban talent Osleys Iglesias. Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger organisation carries a serious threat at 168. They also have Erik Bazinyan, who BoxingScene understands had been in contention to fight Diego Pacheco next month. That has become unlikely, and his promoter would not comment on the Canada-based Armenian’s next move, but he is satisfied with the menace his trio have at 168t.
“Between Mbilli, Iglesias and Bazinyan, we have three of the top five super middleweights in the world, so we’re in a very envious position and this guy [Iglesias], what we’ve seen from him in his last two fights is devastatingly scary,” he said. “So we’re looking for an opponent that means something. He’s the real deal. He has skills; the power; an amazing team; good coaches around him as well. He’s very serious and he’s very young. And he has terrifying power that I’ve rarely seen.”
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