Christian Mbilli and Maciej Sulecki square off in the main event, live on ESPN+, from the Videotron Centre in Québec City, Canada on June 27. The scheduled 12-round matchup is set to crown the interim WBC champion at super middleweight. The winner of the fight looks to become the top contender for the division’s undisputed title, contested by Canelo Alvarez and William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh.
Cameroonian-French Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) makes his first ring appearance of the year following three successful outings in 2024. The unbeaten 29-year-old scored a unanimous decision against Sergiy Derevyanchenko last August, stopped Mark Heffron in the first round last May, and eliminated Rohan Murdock in six rounds to kick off the year.
Mbilli was expected to face Kevin Lele Sadjo in the IBF 168-pound title eliminator in May in Paris. The fight fell through after the Montreal-based super middleweight withdrew from the bout due to financial issues.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, I’ve worked so hard to get here, and there’s no way I’m leaving without the belt on June 27,” Christian Mbilli said. “I want to salute my opponent for having the courage to accept this challenge. But once we’re in the ring, he’ll have to face all the intensity and rage I’ve built up against those who refused to fight me.”
Sulecki (33-3, 13 KOs) of Poland aims for his second straight victory since suffering a defeat by knockout in the sixth round against Diego Pacheco last August. The former title challenger bounced back with a 10th-round TKO against Ali Akhmedov in February. The 35-year-old fought Demetrius Andrade for the WBO middleweight belt in mid-2019, but fell short by unanimous decision.
“This fight is between me and Canelo, so we can square away our beef from sparring,” Maciej Sulecki said. “Of course, Christian Mbilli will not be an easy fight, but I have never felt better since my return with my trainer. I am in a great place with my team, and everyone is doing their part. On June 27, I will make sure I do mine with a statement in his hometown.”
In Mbilli vs Sulecki undercard action
The co-feature on the card is a 10-round middleweight bout between Erik Bazinyan and Steven Butler. Armenia’s Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 KOs) looks to rebound from a 10th-round knockout against Jaime Munguia last September. Montreal’s former two-time title challenger Butler (35-5-1, 29 KOs) stopped Fernando Ezequiel Farias in the first round last November.
Also on the Mbilli vs Sulecki undercard is a 10-round heavyweight bout between Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-2, 18 KOs) and Ricardo Brown (12-0, 11 KOs) of Jamaica. As well, Canada’s Leila Beaudoin (12-1, 1 KO) defends her WBO International super featherweight strap in a 10-rounder against former interim champion Elhem Mekhaled (17-3, 3 KOs) of France.
Additionally, super lightweight Jhon Orobio (13-0, 11 KOs) of Colombia and Luis Santana (13-0, 6 KOs) of Canada step through the ropes in 10-round bouts. Plus, super middleweight Wilkens Mathieu (13-0, 9 KOs) battles it out in front of his hometown crowd at super middleweight. Their respective opponents are expected to be confirmed shortly.