The co-main man to watch
On a night built to showcase Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, the loudest statement might land one fight earlier. Christian Mbilli, the unbeaten WBC interim super middleweight champion, says he plans to “steal the show” when he defends his belt against Lester Martinez on the Canelo–Crawford undercard this Saturday, September 13, 2025. The co-main event streams on Netflix, with an expected ring walk around 9:45 p.m. ET.
Mbilli isn’t talking for effect. The 30-year-old French contender is 29-0 and trending violent—two first-round finishes in his last three, including a July blitz of Maciej Sulecki that delivered him the interim WBC strap. He’s built a reputation on pressure, thudding body work, and a ruthless instinct the moment he senses wobble. That style has turned him from a prospect into a problem for anyone at 168 pounds.
Across the ring is Guatemala’s Lester Martinez, 29, also unbeaten at 19-0. He’s earned his shot with steady work and a fourth-round stoppage of Joeshon James in March. A former WBC and WBO Latino titleholder and a gold medalist at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, Martinez brings poise, pop, and an edge honed in a busy regional scene. This is his biggest stage yet, and he sounds like a man who understands it.
Oddsmakers have Mbilli a clear favorite at -172, and that tracks with how the two have been built. Mbilli has been matched tough and has answered those tests with clean, emphatic wins. Martinez has handled everything asked of him but hasn’t shared a ring with this level of pressure and depth. That gap might be real, or Saturday might prove it was overstated.
Here’s what ups the stakes: Mbilli wants the Canelo–Crawford winner next and says he intends to make himself impossible to ignore. With the WBC interim belt in his corner, a dominant performance would strengthen his claim for the mandatory slot to the undisputed title. That’s the carrot. The stick is Martinez, who sees the same opening and knows a shock win would rocket him from dangerous outsider to a can’t-miss title challenger.
Mbilli’s rise didn’t come out of nowhere. A Rio 2016 Olympian for France who built his pro career out of Montreal, he has sharpened a compact, walk-you-down approach that breaks opponents mentally as much as physically. When he gets momentum, you can feel the ring shrink. His jab is heavy, his feet are efficient, and he doesn’t waste punches. If there’s a knock, it’s that his aggression can leave counter lanes. But his chin has held up, and his punch placement—especially downstairs—forces opponents to choose between protecting ribs or getting their head snapped back.
Martinez brings real danger if Mbilli gets greedy. He’s comfortable trading in the pocket and can counter off the front foot. He doesn’t rush his work and looks for the second and third beat in exchanges. The question is whether he can keep Mbilli off long enough to set traps. If he can’t stop the forward march, he’ll need to clinch, pivot out, and reset without burning too much energy. If he can, he’s live for a late swing.
The backdrop, of course, is the main event. Canelo sits on the undisputed super middleweight throne. Crawford, a former undisputed champ in two divisions, is taking a moonshot into the heaviest, most accomplished weight class of his career. Whoever leaves that ring with the belts is likely to face a wave of mandatories and big-money options. Mbilli wants to be first in line. If Canelo keeps the crown, Mbilli would bring a fresh, TV-friendly style and an unbeaten record. If Crawford pulls it off, Mbilli becomes the most natural 168-pound threat ready to test a new champion’s ceiling at the weight.
Timing matters. Sanctioning bodies tend to move fast when they have a compelling mandatory and a fighter who just produced a highlight. That’s why Mbilli is talking about stealing the show. The optics matter on a night this big. Blow the doors off the co-main and you don’t just win; you jump the queue.
This card has a straightforward rhythm: opening main-card bout Mohammed Alakel vs. John Ornelas, then Mbilli–Martinez as the co-main, then Canelo–Crawford. That makes the co-main the last taste before the headliner. If Mbilli is serious about hijacking the spotlight, this is the perfect spot—right before millions settle in for the main event.
What a win would mean—and how it might happen
For Mbilli, a statement win tightens the noose on the undisputed picture at 168. He’d have an unbeaten record, an interim title, and a run of violent finishes on the sport’s biggest stage of the year. That combination usually forces phone calls. For Martinez, the upside is even bigger: an unbeaten champion scalped on a global platform and a fast lane to a title shot that would have been unthinkable 18 months ago. It would also be a milestone for Guatemalan boxing, which rarely gets nights like this.
Stylistically, the fight has simple demands:
- Mbilli needs early respect. If his jab and body shots push Martinez into retreat by round three, the tempo is his, and the stoppage clock starts.
- Martinez must manage geography. Meet Mbilli mid-ring, slide off the line after two-punch counters, and never get stuck on the ropes where the body shots pile up.
- Both men have power. The first clean momentum shift could decide everything. Whoever wins the second round may control the fifth.
- Cardio matters. Mbilli sets a draining pace; Martinez’s composure only matters if his legs are still sharp past six.
There’s also the psychological piece. Mbilli has been here—bigger lights, bigger pressure, and bigger names trying to hold him back. He tends to start fast and embrace the heat. Martinez has the mystery advantage: he’s never lost, and we don’t know how he looks when forced to swim in deep water. Sometimes that uncertainty is the hardest thing to prepare for.
Expect Mbilli to test the body early, then build to the head as openings widen. If Martinez can catch him clean while Mbilli is entering—especially with something straight down the middle—this can change fast. But if Mbilli’s feet are under him and he’s exiting at angles after combinations, the rounds will stack in his favor.
One more layer: politics. With the WBC interim belt, Mbilli sits close to a mandatory claim. But mandatories meet reality—big fights, network schedules, rematch clauses. That’s why this performance has to be loud. If the win is routine, he becomes “a name in the mix.” If it’s violent, he becomes “the name next.” There’s a difference, and fighters know it.
Saturday’s co-main has the ingredients: two unbeatens, a belt on the line, and a fighter eager to crash the undisputed conversation on the sport’s biggest night of the year. If Mbilli is right and he steals the show, the undercard might end up shaping the future of the division as much as the headliner.
