Christian Mbilli (23-0, 20 KOs) faces his first opponent of the year as he defends his WBC and WBA International Continental of the Americas belts against heavyweight Carlos Gongora (21-1, 16 KOs) in a Cabaret du Casino de Montreal.
The event will be aired on www.punchinggrace.com, as well as on ESPN+ in the USA.
Thanks to his victories against Nadjib Mohammedi, DeAndre Ware, and Vaughn Alexander in December of 2022, Mbilli is now ranked second by the WBC, fifth by the WBA, and seventh by the IBO. According to EOTTM general manager Antonin Décarie, 2023 will be a crucial year for his growth and his pursuit of a world championship fight, and his opponents will give him very little leeway.
Gongora's remarkable ring skills, which he developed as an amateur at the 2007 and 2011 Pan-American Games as well as the Olympics, served as a strong basis for his professional career. He defeated rising star Ali Akhmedov to win the IBO super middleweight championship, which he held until December 2021, when he was defeated by Lerrone Richards in a split decision.
Simon Kean (22-1, 21 KOs) takes on American Eric Molina (29-8, 21 KOs) in the co-main event. The undercard features Steve Claggett (33-7-2, 23 KOs), Lela Beaudoin (8-0, 1 KOs), and Luis Santana (8-0, 2 KOs).
Fight card:
▪️Christian Mbilli vs. Carlos Gongora, 10 rounds, super middleweight ▪️Simon Kean vs. Eric Molina, 10 rounds, heavyweight ▪️Steve Claggett vs. Rafael Lugo, 10 rounds, junior welterweight ▪️Luis Santana vs. Francisco Martinez, 8 rounds, lightweight ▪️Leila Beaudoin vs. Laura Avendano Mondragon, 6 rounds, female junior lightweight ▪️Wilkens Mathieu vs. Jose Gonzalez Saldana, 4 rounds, super middleweight ▪️Jhon Orobio vs. Alejandro Medina De La Rosa, 4 rounds, junior lightweight ▪️Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse vs. Princess Hairston, 4 rounds, female cruiserweight
