Boxing
Who is the knockout artist with 24 stoppages from 29 wins aiming to derail Canelo's comeback?
Usyk vs. Verhoeven: Exclusively on DAZN - Saturday
Christian Mbilli will have the biggest opportunity of his career on September 12 when he challenges Canelo Alvarez for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title in Saudi Arabia.Â
A major threat at 168lbs, Mbilli has the chance to become a major name in the boxing world later this year as Canelo returns to the ring after a year's absence following a loss to Terence Crawford last September. Â
DAZN FACE OFF: Usyk vs. Verhoeven
Watch dramatic clash here
Mbilli’s quiet rise has gained momentum in recent years and after slowly building his career in Canada, he stands on the verge of ruling the wide open super-middleweight division.Â
Born in Cameroon, Mbilli eventually moved to France where he grew up, but he would relocate once again when deciding to give his boxing career the best chance possible with Canada eventually being the destination he settled in.Â
Making his pro debut in 2017, Mbilli made a winning start with a win against Adrian Arenas with a second-round stoppage.Â
At the end of his first year as a professional, Mbilli returned to France for two fights and he recorded impressive victories against Martin Owono and Robert Swierzbinski.Â
Building his record in Canada, France, and occasionally in America, Mbilli picked up minor WBC belts as he climbed the rankings, and it was in 2021 when he really started to make noise with a superb win over former David Benavidez rival, Ronald Ellis.Â
Mbilli continued to roll on with stoppages over Mark Heffron and Maciej Sulecki, but the first dent on his record would come in 2025 when he was held to a draw by the highly rated Lester Martinez.Â
That result has not dented his ambition, and he now has the chance to become world champion with victory over one of the modern era’s biggest names.
Watch Usyk vs Verhoeven only on DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPV, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
