Christian Mbilli fought the most exciting fight in recent years on Thursday evening in Quebec at the Casino de Montreal. The best of the year so far. A merciless war against Carlos Gongora that will catapult him into the super middleweight elite.
• Also read: Indomitable lion, is Christian Mbilli the new darling of boxing in Quebec?
• Also read: Boxing: Christian Mbilli wins fight of the year at Casino de Montreal
I’ve seen hundreds of fights since I arrived at the Journal de Montréal. Good, flat, average. The one between Mbilli and Carlos Gongora is in the upper category. With a big lead.
I can count that kind of fight on one hand. Not only was it an intense fight from the first to the last round, but also two boxers at the peak of their ability. The stakes were great.
Several things impressed me in this fight. The most important is Mbilli’s cardio. He started the duel in fifth gear and never lifted his foot even when he was in trouble.
Watching him go in the early rounds I thought he would lack energy in the second half of the game. I was royally wrong. Ever since he arrived at Marc Ramsay’s high school, I’ve had compliments on the Frenchman’s physical condition. Thursday we had the proof.
Hell in the 8th round
His excellent physical condition allowed him to survive an eighth round of hell. From the first few seconds, Mbilli was rocked by a solid Gongora uppercut.
As a former boxing columnist would say, he had his feet in the boat. At one point we thought that EOTTM’s protégé would kneel on the floor to regain his senses. It did not happen.
Instead, he went to the end of his strength to survive and, most importantly, finish this attack with all his might. He even rocked Gongora in front of the bell.
A fast lap that kept everyone in suspense and gave their trainers a few more gray hairs.
Fair grades
Mbilli won that fight. The scores clearly show the pace of the exchange. Marc Ramsay’s boxer kept the pressure on throughout the fight. His stroke volume was superior to his opponent.
I gave Gongora two clean rounds to finish with a 98-92 map. There could have been the first round that could have gone to the Ecuadorian side, but I wasn’t 100% convinced.
When he returned to Gongora, he proved that he had a jaw of steel. He withstood a barrage of power shots from Mbilli without batting an eyelid. He tried his powerful uppercut until the very end, but he couldn’t end the fight the way he wanted.
in the elite
With his signature performance against Gongora, Mbilli has just set foot in the select elite club of the 168lbs. Thanks to ESPN, he’s just made an enviable name for himself in the United States and internationally.
He is now among the top contenders for one of Canelo Alvarez’s crowns. The latter hinders the ambitions of all boxers because he holds the four titles in this division. He controls every schedule according to his whims.
We hope he lets go of his belts to open the door for boxers like Mbilli who have been working hard for a number of years. With his victory on Thursday, Mbilli cemented his place in the rankings but also in the hearts of the fans.