On March 18, 2021, Christian Mbilli (17-0-0, 16 K.-O.) will finally have the chance to demonstrate his know-how to the entire boxing planet while he will make his first outing on American TV. It is on NBC and Punching Grace, live from Puerto Rico, that the one nicknamed “Solid” will face the former Olympic boxing world champion, Ievgen Khytrov (20-2-0, 17K .-O.).
Shortly after signing Christian Mbilli, Eye of the Tiger Management allowed Marc Ramsay’s protégé to return to action in Mexico by facing Rolando Paredes (16-12-2, 11 KOs) on December 12, 2020. This first performance as an official member of EOTTM’s team proved expeditious as Mbilli managed to finish the job in the third round with the help of many power shots. Being convinced that the former Olympian has all the potential to win a world title eventually, Camille Estephan made sure to offer Mbilli new challenges, including this opportunity, which gives him excellent visibility across the globe.
“Christian will have a great fight against Khytrov. When we spoke to Christian, he accepted without hesitation. Khytrov has around 400 fights in Olympic boxing and was world champion among amateurs. There are not many people who want to confront him, just like Christian. This fight on NBC will open a new window for Mbilli, which will bring him to world title fights very soon,” says with confidence the president of Eye of the Tiger Management, Camille Estephan.
For his part, Ievgen Khytrov not only has an impressive run in the amateur ranks, but he also has an excellent record among the professionals. Nicknamed the “Ukrainian Lion,” Ievgen Khytrov obtained 85% of his victories by knocking out against tough opponents such as Ernest Amuzu (26-5-0, 22 KOs), Gabriel Pham (13- 2-0, 6 K.-O.), and Morgan Fitch (19-4-1, 8 K.-O.), among others. He also offered quite a battle against world contender Brandon Adams (22-3-0, 14 KOs) in addition to being currently ranked 24th in the world in the super middleweight category, according to Boxrec.
“For me, it’s an honor to face someone I admired as an amateur. […] At the time, it was a whole group. There were Lomachenko, Khytrov, and Usyk […], They made up a rather fearsome team […] When they arrived, we said: Wow, the Ukrainians are really very strong! […] It is, therefore, an honor for me to face one of them. […] I am giving my 100% in training to have a perfect strategy, to have a perfect fight, and to come out at the end of the fight with another win on my record,” mentions Christian Mbilli.
Eye of the Tiger Management will hold a virtual press conference on February 16 at noon. The organization will unveil the details surrounding Christian Mbilli’s next bout, which will be presented in Porto Rico on Thursday, March 18, on NBC and Punching Grace. Mbilli and his team will be present for questions.