Christian Mbilli on Canelo: “I Have a Big Chance to Win”

WBC Interim Super Middleweight champion Christian Mbilli has shared his thoughts on a potential fight against former undisputed champion in the same division, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

– You’ve always been on the list of potential opponents for Canelo. Earlier this year, Eddie Reynoso (Canelo’s trainer) said they were considering a fight with you. Now that he’s lost and holds no titles, do you think you’re closer to getting that fight?

– It would be an honor to fight Canelo. You know, I’m open to fighting anyone. I would be very happy to face an opponent with such a big name like Canelo. We’ll see if I get that opportunity. I would be very glad to fight Canelo.

– How do you assess his performance? Many said before the fight that he’s aging, that he’s past his peak, that he’s not the same anymore. Do you think his performance highlighted that?

– I think Canelo is very old now. You know, he’s not the same Canelo he was ten or five years ago. That’s normal. He’s a professional boxer who started his career at 15. He’s not the same now, but he’s still dangerous. He’s still a good fighter. I think he’s in the top 2 or top 3 of the division. He’s still very strong. But he’s aging. I believe this is a good moment for me to fight him.

– How do you think a fight between you and him would go?

– Let’s make it happen and see. Naturally, I’ll come to put on a big show, as I always do. And I’ll be in the ring to win.

– What did Canelo do wrong in the fight against Crawford? Name one big thing he failed to fix.

– Sorry, I don’t know. I’m not a trainer. I can’t say. Maybe Crawford had a better strategy, but I don’t know.

– Perhaps you can tell us how you think a fight between you two would play out? What’s your prediction?

– Me against Canelo? For me, it would be a big war. A big war. And that’s good, because he’s aging a lot. I don’t know if he could withstand my pressure and my punches now, because I throw a lot of punches, apply a lot of pressure, put in a lot of energy. I’m not sure he can take that anymore, because he’s getting older. And I think I have a big chance to win. But we’ll see if I get the opportunity to fight him. For me, it would be an honor to fight and beat him. That would be a big name on my list, Mbilli said.

On September 13, Saul Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) lost his undisputed Super Middleweight crown by unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.

On the same card, Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) fought to a split draw against Lester Martinez.

Photo: Newsweek