Wilkens Mathieu is only 20 years old, but he will fight for the 13th time in his professional career on Saturday. Mathieu admits he is two to three years away from a title shot, but he believes the super middleweight division has become less interesting lately. 

Mathieu will face Ricardo Adrian Luna in an eight-round bout at the Collective Arts Brewery in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 

Mathieu, 12-0 (8 KOs), has had an interesting road to this point. When he was 15 years old the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which complicated his hopes of turning pro. Mathieu stayed in the amateur system due to advice from his trainer. He became a five-time Golden Gloves boxer and fought internationally three times as a part of the Canadian national team, competing in Germany, Hungary, and Spain. 

He turned professional with Eye of the Tiger Management in 2023 and now trains in Montreal, Quebec. 

He has strong opinions about the state of his division, especially when it comes to the three-belt titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

“My division was great when we had David Benavidez, David Morrell, but they all moved up to light heavyweight,” Mathieu told BoxingScene. “Right now, we have Canelo [Saul Alvarez] that holds up all the titles, fighting nobodies. We got great up-and-comers, like Christian Mbilli, Diego Pacheco, all these guys, but Canelo holds all the belts.”

Mathieu understands the position for Alvarez. He is one of boxing's biggest attractions and takes the fights that he wants. Mathieu wishes he could see more young fighters getting title fights in his division.

“I understand for Canelo the position he is in, but for the other fighters, it's a pity because we just wait in the line and we hope to get a call, but it’s almost better to be not as dangerous,” Mathieu told BoxingScene. “You have more of a chance to fight for a world title than if you’re a dangerous guy like Mbilli who knocks everybody out.”

“If you're an Edgar Belanga who gets dropped by journeymen, then you get exposed. Canelo is going to choose the easier fight,” Mathieu said. “If you’re doing great, you get a lot of knockouts, Canelo won’t choose you. It's like I said, it's even better for you to be not that good. You have more chance to get the lottery ticket [than a fight] with Canelo.”

Mathieu noted that he compares himself to the other young fighters around his age as he looks at his evolution. Mathieu cited specifically Abdullah Mason as a fighter he watches. 

Mathieu will face Luna, 27-12-2 (17 KOs), who has served as a veteran journeyman in recent fights. Luna is 3-3 in his last six fights, with each loss coming via stoppage. Luna, a 35-year-old from Mexico, serves as a comparison for Mathieu among some of the top names in the division he one day hopes to fight. 

“I think my opponent is perfect for right now, at this point of my career,” Mathieu said. “He is a guy who fought a lot of well-known fighters, like Diego Pacheco, Erik Bazinyan, Ryota Murata, an ex-world champion, Albert Ramirez, and so he fought a lot of guys.”

“I'm going to fight him at just 12 fights,” Mathieu said. “I think it is a good evolution. It is a good comparison.”