Christian Mbilli has become one of the fastest-rising names in boxing with a 29-fight undefeated career and more than 75% finish rate. ‘Solide’ has made a name for himself as a relentless and explosive super-middleweight champion of the world. But where’s the super-middleweight world champion from? 

He currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Before that, he fought for the French community. So, where exactly did this journey begin, and what led him to represent France on the global stage?

Is Christian Mbilli from Cameroon? Ethnicity and early life

‘Solide’ was born on 26 April 1995, in Yaounde, Cameroon. He had to relocate in the later years of his life, for family reasons. This relocation introduced him to the world of combat sports. Prior to his fight against Sergey Derevyanchenko in 2024, he had an interview with Top Rank Boxing. Therein, he said, “I decide to start boxing because I need to protect myself. I don’t have big brother. And I was in difficult, difficult town. I was need to know how to defend myself.” 

And thus began Christian Mbilli’s journey in the fighting world. His determination and natural athleticism  were the highlights of his success as a boxer. As an amateur, he outshone many, clinching a gold medal at the 2013 European Youth Championship, and then winning another amateur gold at the 2014 European Union Championship. 

He then got a chance to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, it wasn’t Cameroon that Mbilli represented, but France. 

So, why did the Yaounde-born fighter move to France in the first place? What is Christian Mbilli’s nationality, and why did he move to France?

Christian Mbilli’s nationality & move to France

Even though the story of Christian Mbilli began in Cameroon, he moved to France at age 11. His mother had them move for family reasons, as she ended up marrying a Frenchman. Mbilli was naturalized as a French citizen shortly thereafter. The super-middleweight world champion said, “I’m from France. I have born in Cameroon. My mother decide to bring us in France to have a better life, because she doesn’t have lot of opportunity in Cameroon. She wanted a better future for us.” 

It’s a similar story that resonates with many other fighters. Moving to France turned out to be a massive blessing for ‘Solide’, when he turned 15. He stated, “I discover boxing in France when I was 15 years old.” And there was no way he was going to dismiss that. ‘Solide’ wore the French flag on his shoulders and fought his way to the quarterfinal game at the 2016 Olympics. But alas! He couldn’t really secure a win against Arten Lopez and got eliminated. 

Ever since that defeat, Christian Mbilli went professional, and thus began his undefeated spree. Now, he is all set to fight Lester Martinez on 13 September 2025, with the interim WBC world super middleweight championship title on the line. But can the Cameroonian-French boxer claim the win over the boxer from Guatemala? We’ll find that out this Saturday evening.