Super middleweight Christian Mbili has emerged as a strong contender who believes he can challenge any of the top fighters in his division.
Mbili is scheduled to face Sergey Derevyanchenko on August 17 at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The bout will be the pinnacle of Mbili's career to date. Derevyanchenko lost a unanimous decision to Jaime Munguia in 2023, but the result elevated Munguia's career and could set him up for a fight with Canelo Alvarez, who Mbili hopes to face one day.
Speaking to ESPN's Mark Kriegel, the 29-year-old Mbili (27-0, 23 KOs) expressed confidence that his dedicated training regimen has him ready to take on top-tier opponents. “If I had a three-month training camp, I could beat them right now,” he claimed.
Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs), 38, from Ukraine, is known for posing tough challenges to top fighters such as Gennady Golovkin and will be a big test for Mbili. Derevyanchenko will be the fighter with the most titles that Mbili has ever faced. Regarding Derevyanchenko's skills, Mbili said, “He is a very good boxer. He has a lot of experience, he has had many fights as an amateur, [a lot of] I want to become a professional champion.”
Most of Mbili's career has been fought in Canada. He recently signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank. He currently holds top three rankings with the major sanctioning organizations and is ranked #1 by the WBC. Canelo is the current titleholder in the division, while David Benavidez holds the interim title.
Ahead of his showdown with Derevyanchenko, Mbili confidently predicted: “I'm going to knock him out, but I'm definitely going to win this fight.”
