Christian Mbilli will defend his WBC interim super-middleweight title against Lester Martinez on September 13, it was announced today.
The fight will feature on the undercard of the mega fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, which takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, live on Netflix.
“I’m honored that His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh specifically thought of me for the card of Canelo vs. Crawford,” said Mbilli. “I plan to seize this opportunity to show him that I’m the rightful challenger for the winner of their bout. And I intend to do it by staying true to my style, to myself, and by putting on a spectacular fight. This victory will elevate my status globally, my greatness, and most importantly, show the world who Christian ‘Solide’ Mbilli is.”
Mbilli, 29-0 (24 KOs), from Quebec, Canada, boasts victories over Ecuador’s Carlos Góngora, Australia’s Rohan Murdock, and Ukraine’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko. In June, he knocked out Poland’s Maciej Sulecki inside a round to capture his current belt, which he will defend for the first time against Martinez next month.
“Many consider Lester Martinez the most dangerous rising prospect climbing the world ranks right now,” said Marc Ramsay, Mbilli’s coach. “But Christian doesn’t say no to anyone. Not to Canelo, not to Martinez—no one."
Martinez, 19-0 (16 KOs), began his professional career back in 2019, when he stopped Nicaraguan brawler Ricardo Mayorga in the second round. More recently, in 2024 and 2025, the Guatemalan has dominated Carlos Góngora over 10 rounds and stopped previously undefeated American prospect Joeshon James in four. He is now ranked at three by the WBC, seven by the WBC, and 15 by the WBO. His next fight, on September 13, will be his biggest to date.
