Super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli weighed in at 167.4 lbs, while his opponent Sergiy Derevyanchenko came in at 167.1 pounds during Friday’s weigh-in for their ten-round fight this Saturday, August 17th, at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The event will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) is ranked #1 WBC at 168 and is being hyped by Top Rank as a future world champion. Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) could bring him and Top Rank back down to earth on Saturday night by dealing Mbilli, 29, his first career defeat.
Despite the push that Mbilli is being given, this is a 50-50 fight, and he could lose. That would put his promoters in a position to decide what to do next with him. Mbilli is nearing 30, and by his age, you either have it or you don’t. You’re not going to see huge improvements.
If the idea is to keep Mbilli around long enough to get him a cash-out money fight against Canelo Alvarez, it might be worth it to hold onto him if you’re Top Rank, but not if he loses to Derevyanchenko on Saturday night. He’ll never get that fight against Canelo if he gets beaten because it’ll take too long to rebuild.
Complete weights
Christian Mbilli 167.4 lbs. vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko 167.1
Arslanbek Makhmudov 260 vs. Guido Vianello 245.8
Osleys Iglesias 169.3 vs. Sena Agbeko 168.7
Abdullah Mason 136 vs. Mike Ohan Jr. 136.7
Leila Beaudoin 129.7 vs. Lizbeth Crespo 129.2
Wilkens Mathieu 178 vs. Facundo Nicolas Galovar 180.9
Jahi Tucker 160 vs. Santiago Fernandez 159.1
Thomas Chabot 128.6 vs. Matias Ezequiel Guenemil 128.6
Dzmitry Asanau 136.3 vs. Alexis Camejo 136.4
“I think I have a small size like Mike Tyson. My style is super aggressive,” said Christian Mbilli to Top Rank Boxing. “I think I’m a spectacular boxer. My most spectacular knockout was with Nadjib Mohammedi. When I knocked him out, I wasn’t sure he was going to wake up.”
At 5’8 1/2″, Mbilli is short for the super middleweight division, and he doesn’t have the skills or one-punch power to be anything like a Mike Tyson type of fighter. Although Canelo Alvarez is of a similar height, he was technically much better, a great counter-puncher, and a superior chin.
“When I knock somebody out, I feel very good, but after, I hope everything is good for him with no problem and no accident. When people call me the next great super middleweight champ, I’m happy. It’s an honor for me and a lot of pressure, too. I’m going to work very hard to make it happen,” said Mbilli about wanting to live up to the praise.
“MBilli is a great talent. I saw elements that were Tyson-esque,” said commentator Mark Kriegel on ESPN’s State of Boxing.
“MBilli fights every fight like it’s his last fight. You could tell the intensity that he brings in the ring. He’s looking to hurt his opponents,” said Tim Bradley.
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