Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) was born in Yaounde, Cameroon and moved to France with his family as an 11-year-old. Staring boxing at the age of 15 began a rapid ascent for the talented puncher, making his way onto the French national team, becoming a national champion, European champion and then an Olympian in 2016. Respected coach Marc Ramsey saw potential in the Cameroonian-born fighter – and after a brief visit, Mbilli joined Ramsey and an impressive stable containing renowned fighters such as Artur Beterbiev and Jean Pascal. This talented fighter has a lot more in his locker. We are here to look at what could be next for Montreal resident.
Following elimination in the third round at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Mbilli’s eyes quickly moved to the professional ranks, joining the Ramsey stable in Montreal. He made his professional debut on February 9, 2017, defeating Adrian Arenas by second-round KO.
The talented Cameroon-born fighter quickly made a name for himself, winning his first 13 professional contests by stoppage. The first fighter to take him the distance was the experienced Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa. Mbilli won the fight comfortably, with the judges’ scorecards reading 79-73 x2 and 80-72.
Since that initial KO burst at the beginning of his career, Mbilli has continued to impress, recording eye-catching wins over Rohan Murdock, and most recently, a unanimous decision win against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. As he rises in the boxing world, fans and bettors alike are taking note, especially in regions like Ontario. For more on gambling laws in the province, check out Canada Sports Betting.
The Canadian resident hasn’t been shy in letting everyone know who he wants to fight. Following his most recent win over Derevyanchenko, the Top Rank fighter spoke about Canelo vs. Edgar Berlanga: “I think it will be easy boxing for Canelo, easy fight. He’s going to win this fight, but after I think I will be ready for him,” said Mbilli.
It remains to be seen if he will get the fight he craves most, but it seems he will need a more noteworthy name on his record before a Canelo fight becomes possible. Potential fights against Caleb Plant, Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguía are potentially explosive contests. Whatever is next for the big-punching Montreal resident, strap in because it will be exciting and full of action.
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The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East ahead of Friday night's bout with the San Francisco Giants, but they are still one of the most vulnerable teams in baseball. New York has a laundry list of pitchers on the IL, including Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), and Max Kranick (flexor). However, it did acquire southpaw hurler Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The veteran is 0-2 with a 3.96 ERA over 45 appearances this season, including 18 holds and one save. While the Mets could stand to add more healthy arms, they probably won't get a certain prominent hurler on the Miami Marlins, via The New York Post's Mike Puma. "The Mets are among the teams that have checked in on Sandy Alcantara," he reported on Friday. "The asking price is steep. The Mets haven’t ruled out adding a starting pitcher, but view it as a tough add given the market." Alcantara is 5-9 with a 6.66 ERA over 20 starts this season. The 29-year-old won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022 after going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA in 32 starts. His current contract extension has a $21 million club option for 2027, and he's scheduled to make $17.3 million in both 2025 and 2026. Right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will start for New York against San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
The Boston Red Sox appear to have no interest in trading outfielder Jarren Duran, at least not in the near future. Trade rumors have swirled around Duran for most of the season, especially after designated hitter Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants. However, Sean McAdam from MassLive reported that the Red Sox may wait until the offseason before moving on from the former All-Star. The decision to wait on Duran is not due to a lack of offers. McAdam also reported that the Padres made a significant offer for Duran involving pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another unnamed prospect. That offer was quickly rejected. The Padres have long coveted Duran. McAdam had previously reported that the Padres have been "relentless" in their pursuit of the Red Sox outfielder. The reported trade offer including Salas, the Padres second-best prospect and the 21st-best prospect in baseball per MLB.com, illustrates how serious they are about acquiring Duran. Likewise, the Red Sox's refusal to entertain such an offer, even as a starting point for negotiations, speaks volumes about their interest in moving Duran. The Padres' offer would help solve several problems for the Red Sox in both the present and future. Moving Duran would help clear up the logjam in the outfield, while Cease and Salas would respectively improve the back of their rotation and provide a possible cornerstone behind the plate going forward. Duran is a valuable trade chip as he is under team control through 2028. He has also taken a step back in production from his stellar showing in 2024, posting a respectable .254/.321/.428 batting line in 459 plate appearances entering Friday, with nine homers and 25 doubles while stealing 16 bases. That production would be an upgrade for several teams looking to improve their outfield going forward. The question is whether or not the Red Sox will be realistic in their asking price for Duran. Considering how quickly the Padres' offer was reportedly rejected, that may not be the case.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million deal last offseason. Unfortunately, he only played in five games during the 2024 NFL season due to an injury. Wilkins had not yet returned to the offseason program for the Raiders this year, as he suffered a setback in his recovery process. A bitter, ongoing debate between him and the franchise about how best to rehabilitate his injury led to his release on Thursday. After this sudden move, Las Vegas needed to act quickly to add another defensive tackle to the roster. On Friday, NFL Insider Aaron Wilson reported that the team had been awarded Keondre Coburn off waivers. "#Raiders awarded DT Keondre Coburn off waivers, per a league source," Wilson wrote. Coburn played his college football with the Texas Longhorns and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. There, he only played in one game during his rookie season, but won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs. He spent the last one and a half seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he saw his role marginally increase. Coburn played in 15 contests last season for the Titans, starting one game and recording 14 tackles. The new regime in Las Vegas, spearheaded by head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek, will give Coburn another chance in the NFL. He is just 25 years old and lands with the Raiders after being waived by Tennessee the day prior.
Early Themes of the 2025 Miami Dolphins Training Camp Training camp kicked off this week in Miami Gardens, and the energy is electric. This is the beginning of the journey—and a long season ahead—for these players. It’s the time when optimism runs high, when every player on the field believes they have a shot to make an impact, and every fan believes this might just be the year. But as we all know, this part of the calendar doesn’t come without a price. Unfortunately, Day 1 brought some tough news. Cornerback Artie Burns and offensive lineman Byron Matos both went down with potentially season-ending injuries. It’s a brutal blow—especially to two position groups that already had question marks coming into camp. Burns was expected to compete for valuable snaps in a secondary trying to find its post-Ramsey identity. And Matos, a former basketball player turned promising developmental lineman, had been turning heads with his athleticism and work ethic. These are the gut-punch moments that make camp so bittersweet. You can feel the season coming into focus—but also see just how fragile it can be. Injuries like these don’t just hurt individual careers; they test the depth, chemistry, and resilience of a team. And while it’s heartbreaking for the guys who go down, these moments also open the door for someone else to step up. Because that’s what camp is all about—opportunity. Maybe it’s Cam Smith rising to the challenge in the DB room. Or maybe it’s Erik Ezukanma fighting for a role on the team. Whatever it may be, every rep matters now. Every play is a chance to prove you belong. But what I wanted to focus on most was a theme we’ve already seen emerge early on: accountability. Not only did players make it a point to sprint after practice today for all the mishaps and penalties, but we also heard that same message echoed in their words. Especially when Tua mentioned that Tyreek Hill is still working on regaining the respect and trust of his teammates, that shows this is serious to the team—and that no individual is more important than the whole. While some may see it as excessive or old news, I think it’s a great thing to hold each other accountable, both in the spotlight and on/off the field. If the team is serious about a culture change and putting football over ego, this is what we need: players and captains demanding more from one another. You also look at a player like Zach Sieler, who is a true professional through and through. While he could easily “hold in” and sit out drills to prove a point to the front office about his current contract, he’s instead out there with the team—especially the younger guys—showing them how to go about the game the right way. He’s setting a standard, and you know he’s going to hold his teammates to that same standard. Whether it all pans out in the end is another story—and of course, it’s still way too early to tell. But so far, these guys seem locked in. And more importantly, they’re practicing what they preach.
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