‘It’s going to be a war’: Mbilli eager to give Derevyanchenko a tough fight, Aug. 17

Christian Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko will go head to head at the Centre Vidéotron.

French super middleweight Chrisitian Mbilli will be making his way back into the ring at the end of the summer when he’s scheduled to take on Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a 10-round main event on August 17 at Quebec City’s Centre Vidéotron.

During today’s formal press conference announcing the fight, Mbilli makes no secret that he specifically wanted this fight with Derevyanchenko.

“When ESPN offered us three names, I immediately told Marc: ‘We want Derevyanchenko,’” Mbilli said. “I’ve been following his career since I was 15. He defeated many elite boxers from the French team, but unfortunately turned professional when I moved up to seniors.”

Mbilli would continue by mentioning that he’s been carefully studying his opponent to prepare for this moment, and he’ll be ready to capitalize on fight night.

“I’ve extensively analyzed Derevyanchenko’s fights to perfect my technique,” Mbilli would say. “It’s an honor for me to fight him, and I intend to thank him by giving him the toughest fight of his life. It’s going to be a war on August 17th, you don’t want to miss it.”

Meanwhile Derevyanchenko believes he’s had some hard luck outings in his career, but emphasizes he’ll change his fortunes in this showdown.

“ I could have won in the past against the other guys, put the but past is the past,” Derevyanchenko said. “I respect my opponent. Mbilli’s undefeated, he’s a strong guy, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve seen it all and I will be the winner on August 17th.”

Both fighters should be motivated to put on a performance they can benefit from with a win here, so we’ll hopefully get to see the best of what both have to offer once the first bell rings.