Finally ! After a long period of waiting the reward arrived. Frenchman Christian Mbilli was named super middleweight world champion (-76.2 kg) by the WBC federation on Tuesday, the co-promoter of the French boxer announced in a press release.
Mbilli has held the interim super middleweight title of the WBC, one of the four major boxing federations, since June 2025. A title obtained thanks to his victory by KO, in the first round, against the Pole Maciej Sulecki.
At the age of 30, he regained the title of official champion, which was stripped of the American boxer Terence Crawford on December 3 following a financial dispute with the WBC.
“I won my world title through work, discipline and merit. I promise to redouble my demands and ardor, in training as in every aspect of my life, to defend it and remind everyone why I am at the top,” declared the 30-year-old French boxer in a press release published by his promotion company, Eye of the Tiger.
Mbilli, who has been asking for a world chance for several years, has 29 successes including 24 before the limit, for a draw.
Terence Crawford, undisputed super-middleweight world champion and undefeated boxer (42-0, 31 KO), announced his retirement in mid-December, three months after his victory against Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The WBC criticized Crawford for not having paid the required fees for his victory against “Canelo”, nor for his fight against Israil Madrimov in 2024.
The WBC then wanted to organize a fight between Christian Mbilli and the British Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant world title. Sheeraz is ranked third in the category by the reference site boxrec, Mbilli sixth.
But the Briton decided not to face Mbilli and the WBC chose to simply remove the “interim” label from Mbilli’s title, and make him directly its sole super-middleweight world champion.
