Unbeaten, highly-rated super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli will attempt to show he’s the next viable option for a world title shot tonight in his fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a Top Rank-promoted card on ESPN in Quebec City, Canada.
Fight Card Details
Broadaster: ESPN and ESPN+
Start Time: 10:00 p.m. ET for the main card. Prelims begin at 5:00 pm on ESPN+.
It’s a must-win fight for Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) in his 19-round fight against Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs). MBilli wants to be the next Challenger for unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, which is highly unlikely, but that’s his goal.
To keep his hopes alive for a shot at Canelo, the 29-year-old Mbilli needs a win and look impressive enough to create a demand. It’s a long shot because he’s not shown the kind of talent to defeat a fighter like Derevyanchenko during his short career, and he might even lose tonight.
Question Surround Mbilli
Due to the way Mbilli has been matched by his promoters, putting him against exclusively weak opposition, casual fans don’t know who he is, and hardcore fans are skeptical.
Derevyanchenko, 38, has faced better opposition than Mbilli before and has been arguably robbed of victories on several occasions. His record should be closer to 19-1 than its current 15-5, but he’s in the same boat as recently beaten fighters Serhii Bohachuk and Israil Madrimov in that he’s not been given wins when facing more popular A-side fighters.
MBilli, 29, is the younger A-side guy tonight, but he can’t afford a controversial win if he wants a chance to fight for a world title. Fans on social media view Mbilli as a hype job and someone created with the help of weak match-making for cash-out purposes.
Undercard Fights
On the undercard tonight, Fringe heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-1, 18 KO) will be attempting to keep his career going by fighting Guido Vianello (12-2-1, 10 KO) in a 10-round fight.
In December, Makmudov, 35, was obliterated by Agit Kabyel in four rounds. He couldn’t take Kabayel’s body attack and caved in.
2016 Olympian Vianello is coming off a ten-round split decision loss to Efe Ajagba last April. Vianello, 30, isn’t much of a puncher, but if he targets Makhmudov’s body, he’s got a chance tonight. That’s the weak spot for the big 6’5″ Russian-born heavyweight.
Lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (14-0, 12 KOs) fights Mike Ohan Jr. (19-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round fight on the prelim portion of the card. It’s unclear why Mason wasn’t put on the main portion of the card because he has more of a future than the heavyweight fight.
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