Artur Beterbiev wasn’t the only unbeaten, Montreal-based fighter trained by Marc Ramsey who impressed Eddie Hearn on Saturday night.
The British promoter also scouted Christian Mbilli, who battered brave Australian Rohan Murdock until Murdock’s handlers stopped their fight after the sixth round at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. Hearn came away from Mbilli’s impressive performance thinking the unbeaten Cameroon native would be an appealing opponent for three super middleweights represented by his company, Matchroom Boxing.
“I think that Mbilli is gonna be in great fights,” Hearn told Boxing Social for a video posted to its YouTube channel Sunday. “I like the fights with [Edgar] Berlanga, with [Diego] Pacheco, John Ryder, when he beats Jaime Munguia.”
Mbilli (26-0, 22 KOs), who stopped Murdock (27-3, 19 KOs) in the opener of ESPN’s doubleheader, is ranked number one by the WBA and WBC for two of Canelo Alvarez’s four super middleweight crowns. The 2016 Olympian is also ranked third by the IBF and fifth by the WBO for the Mexican icon’s other two titles.
Neither Mbilli nor Hearn get the sense Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) will fight Mbilli anytime soon because the 33-year-old four-division champion plans to partake in higher-profile fights as part of his three-bout agreement with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. Mexico’s Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) is considered a frontrunner for Alvarez’s return to the ring May 4, but Munguia must first defeat London’s Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream January 27 from Footprint Center in Phoenix.
If Mbilli were to challenge Alvarez, Hearn would anticipate an action-packed bout because Mbilli applies non-stop pressure and throws a lot of hard punches in combination. Alvarez obviously would be a huge step up in opposition for the 28-year-old contender, though.
“I don’t think he’s gonna be on the list for Canelo Alvarez,” Hearn said, “but you know, action-wise, it’ll be a great fight. And, you know, listen, shout out to Rohan Murdock. I thought they shoulda pulled him out a round or two before, but how brave was he? I mean, like took so much punishment – unbelievable chin. But [Mbilli is a] very exciting fighter.”
With a fight versus Alvarez unlikely, Hearn would match Mbilli, who is co-promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. and Eye of the Tiger, against any of his aforementioned fighters.
Brooklyn’s Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) is scheduled to battle Belfast’s Padraig McCrory (18-0, 9 KOs) in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream February 24 from Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The next fight for Pacheco (20-0, 17 KOs), of Renton, Washington, hasn’t been announced.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.