The resilience of Christian Mbilli paid off. As it took on water at 8e round, the adopted Montrealer had an unexpected second wind to end the round.
The bravery of Mbilli (24-0 20 K. -O.) was necessary since the Frenchman won by unanimous decision against Carlos Gongora (21-2, 16 K. -O.) and managed to defend his two belts in the main event at the Casino de Montreal on Thursday night.
Mbilli offered a flawless performance until the 8e round, but several combinations from the Ecuadorian reached the champion who seemed to crumble little by little. The more beatings he received, the more his legs began to buckle.
I was not allowed to fall today. It was a victory, that’s all.
Christian Mbilli
Often referred to as an adopted Montrealer, Mbilli was certainly able to count on the Casino crowd.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Christian Mbilli and Carlos Gongora
“Without lying to you, I saw my work go through it, admitted Mbilli. I saw my hours of suffering in training. I saw my career goals. I thought I had to show my balls. He hurt me, it’s true, but I was better than him from the start of the fight. »
I was looking for energy deep within myself. This is what makes the difference between an ordinary boxer and a champion.
Christian Mbilli
The crowd went wild when he broke off his rival’s onslaught at 8e round and remained standing for the rest of the 10 round fight. She never stopped encouraging him.
“Without the public, the fight would have been harder. She encouraged me so much. She was delirious! “, he launched, laughing.
Thanks to cards of 97-93, 98-92 and 99-91, Mbilli retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) International and World Boxing Council (WBC) Intercontinental belts.
With this fight, the 27-year-old pugilist wanted to send a message to Canelo Álvarez, who holds all four belts in the super middleweight division, and David Benavidez, interim WBC champion. It might not have been the message he wanted, but he proved his mettle against Gongora.
“There is no longer anyone who will want to go up against Christian. He got hurt. He continued to attack regardless. It’s exceptional what he did today, ”said Eye of the Tiger Management promoter Camille Estephan after the fight with a relieved smile.
Flowers for Gongora
After his colt’s victory, Estephan shared his thoughts when he saw Mbilli being put in danger.
“Why did we bring him here? “, was then made as reflection Estephan.
“Gongora is one of the best opponents we have seen in Quebec. […] We are not going to be able to offer Christian anything in terms of difficulty of fights if they are not world championship fights. It’s as simple as that,” he added.
Mbilli also called Gongora “the most powerful fighter” he has faced. Always so lucid despite the emotions, he took the time to analyze why his rival got him in trouble.
“I don’t like to face lefties,” Mbilli said. Most of my losses have come at the hands of lefties. He really hurt me with his uppercuts. »
If Gongora was the last test before a world title fight, Mbilli has proven that his courage will be his greatest asset to join the world elite.