The rise of Christian Mbilli was done in stages. Every decision he made was driven by the goal of getting a world championship fight as soon as possible. His duel against Carlos Gongora is the last step before being able to dream.
“Christian is at the end of his development. We are falling into the period where he will be at his full potential for a long time, ”assured his coach Marc Ramsay Monday after the press conference at the Casino de Montreal.
Mbilli, undefeated after 23 fights, says he is ready for Thursday’s fight where he will put his two titles on the line. He was first to cross swords with rising star Ali Akhmedov, but the latter withdrew and Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) flip-flopped to land a fight with Gongora.
“We found better,” Mbilli consoled himself during the press conference in front of around thirty people, including a few curious people who came to watch. His opponent, a former world champion, has defeated Akhmedov in the past. This roadmap was enough to convince the Montrealer to adopt.
“Once I’ve had a landslide victory, I’ll be able to negotiate a big fight,” he said in a scrum. The big fight he mentions is a duel against Canelo Álvarez. An opponent he eagerly desires to face, but due to the backroom game of boxing, has not yet been allowed.
The timing of the fight is also no coincidence. Mbilli admitted to wanting to compete against the best boxers in the super middleweight category including Álvarez and David Benavidez. The latter will also be in the ring on Saturday.
“It’s all about timing,” dropped EOTTM promoter Camille Estephan. He added that he has started negotiating with various parties for a bigger fight for his colt.
Unlike the surprising number of people who try their luck at the slot machines a few meters away, Mbilli leaves nothing to chance. “I have to keep up the pace,” said the man who fought in France last December. Every fight brings me closer to a world championship fight. »
For Gongora it’s an opportunity to surprise the crowd favorite and rack up several points for the leaderboards. A golden opportunity according to him, because “Latino boxers are not always recognized at their fair value,” he explained through an interpreter.
Despite the fact that Simon Kean hasn’t really boxed for over a year – his last victory came after his rival retired early in the fight – he is sure to be able to restore his image quickly.
His confrontation against Andre Molina, is not only a fight to get him back in shape, he assures. His Thursday fight against the one who got knocked out. by Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder is “the most important” of his career. Despite this huge cliché, the Trifluvien is aware that a setback would send him back to the bottom of the ladder, even to the bottom of the stairs.
“In boxing, you go up the stairs one by one. But when you lose, you tumble down the stairs,” he said. Kean does not want to minimize the potential of his vis-à-vis. Yet Molina has suffered defeat in three of his last five fights.
So the pressure will be on him. His rival revealed during the press conference to wish to pass the K. -O. to Kean for his last career fight. An announcement in itself.
It was surprisingly during the press scrum that Kean learned this information.
His opponent wants to take advantage of the shortcomings of Kean, whom he confirmed to know. “I know he’s vulnerable and you know he’s vulnerable,” the 40-year-old American said.
Moreover, in the undercard, the Canadian Marry Spencer had to give up her duel against the Brazilian Adriana dos Santos Araujo due to a hand injury. Estephan clarified that he does not believe it is a fracture, but that he will get more details during the week.
