Christian Mbilli REVEALS Game Plan For Canelo Alvarez | Mr. Verzace Podcast | Ep. 27

Christian Mbilli joins the latest edition of Mr. Verzace Podcast ahead of his showdown with Canelo Alvarez for the WBC Super Middleweight world title.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Welcome back to the Mr. Versace Podcast. I'm your host, Mr. Versace himself, Rick Reno, and joining me today is the undefeated WBC Super Middleweight champion Chris John Mbili, and he returns to the ring on September the 12th in the biggest fight of his career against former Ford Division World Champion Saul Canelo Alvarez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Last time out, you were on uh Canelo's undercard. Did you think, coming out of that, that you'd be fighting him next?

SPEAKER_02 0:52

It was a surprise for me when uh asked for the fight, but uh I'm very happy to fight Canelo for my next fight.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Did you have in your well before Terrence Crawford announced his retirement, were you thinking there might be a chance you might fight Crawford since he had all the titles?

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Maybe uh everything was possible, but you were waiting for Crawford, but made some people say he's gonna retire, some people say he's gonna stay, but we were waiting for for him.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

You've been waiting for an opportunity like this your entire career. How quick did you sign that contract when it came over?

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Uh the contract was not seen very quick because you know negotiation was very hard. Uh my team was working for this fight. We are waiting for this fight a long of many years before. And uh we stay uh active, we may we we we take a lot of fight, a lot of boxer, difficult fight, and uh when the fight comes, my my team was like they make sure that I have a good contract, and after contract negotiation finish, we sing very fast.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Now you've probably watched Canelo for years in some of his biggest fights, uh, but that night did you get a chance to watch after your fight and really examine his fight with Crawford?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Not a lot. Uh we we was uh in the dress room and uh was watching a little bit, but uh not a lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Did you see, you know, some people said after the fight, obviously, a lot of critics were like, maybe he's finally getting to his age. You know, he started very young, you know, as a teenager. Uh he's not old in terms of age, but he started much earlier than most fighters would go pro. Did you see anything in yourself as a fighter that said, you know what, I see might be a little bit of a step off?

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Of course. Uh he start he started very young. I think he was uh 16 years old. He says he have a lot of lot of fight now. I think his performance is he's going he's going down, but he's still very dangerous. Uh I think it's a very perfect timing for me to to beat him.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

You know, some critics say you have the perfect style for him, and then other critics are saying after a year off an elbow surgery, this is not the kind of fighter he may want to get in the ring with who's gonna go right to him in the first round and throw a hundred punches around.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Of course, I think I'm I'm very dangerous fighter for him, and uh but I have to be careful too because he's Canelo, he's not he's not uh like uh a small boxer, but uh I think I will make a very statement with this fight, and I'm very j dangerous for for him.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

You know, in your past fights you've had this ruthless aggression, this violent aggression where you've come forward, you don't care what they're throwing back, but because of Canelo is very good on the counters where he lays in wait. Do you think in this fight you have to be just a little bit more intelligent when you come in there with your combination?

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Of course. Uh I'm gonna put more pressure, more combination, more combination, and uh I'm gonna work my defense too. But uh my you you you you know I'm I'm I'm the I'm not I'm in the ring to to to put great show to uh to to make an amazing fight and it would be the same for Canelo.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

I I think Canelo hasn't fought anyone with close to your style, in my opinion, probably since maybe someone like a James Kirkland at 154 pounds, but you're a lot bigger and a lot more intelligent in the way you fight than Kirkland. He was uh very reckless, and I think you have a better chin.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Of course, I have a better chin, I think uh yeah, physically, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Do you think because Canelo traditionally in his fights, he likes to start slow, takes you know, a couple of rounds, examine his opponents, and usually his opponents let him. Because of age and what you've seen, you have to be the regular Christian and Billy from the first second and t t test uh test the the veteran's legs out and his stamina to see if he could deal with those hundred punches around.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

I will not change anything, you know. Uh I will put I I will throw punch the first second and the last second of the fight. And uh I hope he will be ready because it will be an amazing fight for him. I think he he he he will regret to be in the ring.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

You know, because even like his fights with Golofkin, Golofkin had not through as many punches, you but he had a come forward style, but he didn't fight him like that. You know, he decided to box and this and that, and you know, things didn't go his way. Where I think uh you saw a few things that night in September where you're like, I gotta I gotta be the Christian and Billy everyone knows and go straight to him not uh Christian Billy that every everybody know.

SPEAKER_02 6:13

It will be Christian and Billy like uh uh two two 200% Christian and Billy will not be the normal Christian Billy, it will be super Christian and Billy.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

Now the landscape in the super middleweight division has changed a lot with you know with yourself and Hamza Shiraz and Iglesias. Obviously, you have some goals as far as the biggest fights and probably being undisputed yourself. Uh with Iglesias being your stablemate and now picking up the IBF title. I I don't know if you guys are close friends or because you're stablemates, does that complicate a potential fight or it it doesn't matter if it's on the table, you're ready.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

We're gonna see. Uh I you know I I have a big fun with can a big fight with Canelo. I'm gonna focus on Canelo. When I will beat Canelo, we're gonna see what we're gonna we're gonna do after. And right now I'm focused with Canelo.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

No, well I'm talking about I didn't know if you guys, because you know some guys you've seen recently in boxing, they're friendly with another fighter. They don't want to fight their friend.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Whether I'm I'm ready to fight anyone.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

With Canelo, what do you think you do best that he won't be able to deal with that he may not have seen before with his opponents, especially at super middleweight?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

My aggressivity, uh, my pressure. He never fight people who threw a lot of sponge like me and put a lot of pressure. And I think, yeah, physically I'm gonna destroy him.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Your last time out, you were with Lester Martinez, which was a tough fight. He's also very skilled, very tough fighter, and it was one of the better fights last year. It was a contender for many people for fight of the year. It wasn't the outcome you wanted. Obviously, you and your team felt strongly you should have gotten the decision. Um is there still unfinished business there down the line?

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Yeah, you know, uh for this fight, I was not ready. I was not maybe in 15% of my ability, like my my energy. I was it was a great fight. I was uh I make a great training camp, but before this fight, I have met like six months of training camp before my last fight. And uh between my two fights, I was not half time to rest. And uh we have big opportunity to fight in undercut of Canelo and Crawford. We say yes, but we we I was not ready for this fight. I think if uh I had like uh two, three months of rest before the fight, it will be completely different, different fight. Uh I think uh uh I was I will be able to destroy him uh like like I do uh every time.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So did you feel like as the fight went on, uh like a difference in your stamina and your endurance that that you haven't felt because of the circumstances you just described?

SPEAKER_02 9:14

Yeah, yeah, I was not I was not 100% to this fight, um for sure, some uh hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Because I I remember watching it up close, and I was very up close. I was like, wow, this this fight's even better than I anticipated. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

And I yeah, I I was only 15% of my ability. If you see uh if I was like 100%, it would be different, very, very different fight.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

Now you've become a fan favorite, not just in Canada, but everyone saw you on Netflix, they were like, Yeah, we want to see this guy again. Is it important to you every time out for marketability as a fighter to have that fan-friendly style where people say no matter what the result is, we want to see more of Christian and Billy?

SPEAKER_02 10:03

Of course, you know, uh for me uh boxing is a show. And uh I have to make big show for boxing fans. I'm not there to run, I'm not there to like uh to touch and run. I don't like the that type, you know. For me, you are a boxer, you have to put a big show for fun. That's my goal.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Was there anyone when you were coming up uh that you saw either past or present that you like their style or maybe adapted certain things, you like the way they fight, you said, you know what, I want to fight a little bit like I like how this guy fights, I want to fight a little like him.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

It was Mike Tyson.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

So when you saw Tyson, you love that just from the very first round, he's going for the knockout.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Of course. Uh when I start boxing, I was watching a lot of fight of Tyson. And uh he wants to destroy you every with every punch. Every punch have to he want to kill you with every punch. And I like I I like that that style.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

We know there's a there's a guy similar to him in Canada, Arthur Baterbif.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Arthur Batterbif too, yes. He's he's a machine, he's an amazing fighter.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

He's uh you know a guy out there, a countryman who uh another guy who looks like he never ages. He doesn't look like he gets older. Every year he looks like he's the same age. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

It's crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

So is this gonna be the start uh in September of your coming out party? Every fighter has that coming out party. Is this your coming out party?

SPEAKER_02 11:40

In September will be my time, you know. Uh will be my time in the division. Uh uh in September will I will uh will be the face of Supermade Super Supermade World Division.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

This fight, obviously because major fight coming up, you're only gonna probably be in action once. Uh is twenty-seven a goal to be at least two two times out or more? To be to be more active, that you know, not just have one fight, you know, 27, at least two to three fights that year?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

I think two fight a year is good for me. You know, uh I I uh I my fight, I say everything every time that my fight, one fight, uh of uh one fight of Christian and Billy is like three fight of any world, you know. I need more rest, I need uh uh more time to to to to rest, and two fight a year is good for me.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

Do your trainers ever try to get you to slow down during a fight?

SPEAKER_02 12:48

Yeah, yeah. Uh sometimes in training camp or boxing something uh or fight, sometimes say, okay, take your time, rest, and because I'm I'm I'm a boxer that I need someone to keep me down, you know. Uh I'm always push, push, push. And I need I always need someone who say, take your time, relax now and keep keep slowly. You know.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Because I've watched a lot of your fights, because Camille always told me, you know, keep an eye on this guy. This guy, he's he's one of the special ones that I have. And I've seen a few fights where you went to your corner and a you know, really tough fight, they're like, slow it down, you know, this guy, but as soon as you go in that round, the minute the other guy touches you with something, it's it's like back back to a hundred punches around.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

Of course. That's my, you know, uh, it's me, it's Christian and Billy.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

What at this point in your career is the ultimate goal for you? Is a fight like this, a stage like this, is it undisputed? Is it the biggest fights possible, or is it a combination of everything?

SPEAKER_02 13:52

It's a combination combination of everything. Right now, my goal is to put my name in this spot. Uh to be in history on this spot to to beat Canelo. I think when I'm gonna beat Canelo, I will be I will put my name to the the the the the Commandus Bombo? Mon objective c'est mon nom to sport and his name in the history of boxing.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

He thinks uh beating Canelo can put his name, you know. He wants to to be recognized as the greatest, the hall of famer eventually. So uh that's uh what that's one step towards that.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

This fight, you know, a lot of there's a lot of fights people look at and they say this is a fight that will change my career and my life overnight. Is this how you're looking at this opportunity? This is a fight that will change your life, even not just your career, but your entire life overnight.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Of course, this fight will change my life, and uh and after the fight will change the life of many of the generation of uh that's the thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

And in closing, tell the people out there what they could expect from the punching machine himself, Christian and Billy, on September the 12th.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

In September the 12th, uh be ready for this fight because it will be an amazing fight, amazing show, fight of the decade, and uh be ready and keep focused between the first second and the last second because everything can happen in every second.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

And you heard it from the man himself. When this guy fights, you can't get up for a bathroom break. Be ready.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Be ready in no break.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Live and exclusive on the zone, September the 12th. Christian and Billy is gonna defend the WBC Super Middleweight title against the man that many regard as the face of boxing, Saul Canelo Alvarez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. See you there.