Mbilli Got the Belt He Wanted, Even Without the Fight

Christian Mbilli likely isn’t losing sleep over the paperwork involved in his new status. From his perspective, the end result is exactly what he set out to achieve.

The WBC recently promoted Mbilli from interim status to the full super middleweight champion after Terence Crawford moved on. The belt shifted hands outside the ring, wrapping up a cycle that had ground to a halt when a mandatory match failed to materialize.

Critics are making a fuss about the missed matchup with Hamzah Sheeraz, but you won’t hear Mbilli complaining. He didn’t lace up the gloves to win a popularity contest or satisfy the “what if” crowd. He wanted the strap, and now it’s sitting in his trophy case.

In a perfect world, he would have shared the ring with Crawford for the title. That door shut when Crawford gave up the strap. Before that, Canelo Alvarez held the belt but never expressed any desire to face Mbilli while campaigning at the weight. It makes sense. Mbilli has been the bogeyman of the division for a while, a dangerous fighter who didn’t offer the big paydays that top stars demand.

This history shows that the administrative route was almost inevitable. Mbilli kept busy, kept winning, and stayed ready while the stars above him moved in different directions. When the proposed title fight fell through, the WBC decided to elevate him rather than keep the division on hold.

The situation leaves Mbilli as a champion who hasn’t yet had that signature title victory, but he is exactly where he needs to be. He is the man with the gold in a weight class where the former kings steered clear of him.

Whether the championship was earned through a 12 round battle or a committee decision probably matters more to the critics than to the man himself. His power now comes from the physical belt in his possession.

The weight of proof now falls on the rest of the division. Mbilli has the crown. He can prove he belongs at the top when the first defense comes around.