Christian Mbilli vs Maciej Sulecki Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Boxing's super middleweight division awaits the September 13 mega bout between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford for undisputed glory.

In the meantime, Christian Mbilli can inch closer to forcing a fight against that winner as he clashes with rugged Polish fighter Maciej Sulecki with the vacant WBC interim super middleweight title on the line at the Videotron Centre in Montreal, Canada on Friday night.

Will the French-Cameroonian Mbilli (28-0, 23 knockouts) become interim champ with a statement victory? Or will the battle-tested Sulecki (33-3, 13 KOs) pull off his biggest win to date?

With the stakes high, DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for both Mbilli and Sulecki.

Christian Mbilli’s Keys to Victory

Pressure, cut the ring in half

From the opening bell, Christian Mbilli would be wise to cut the ring in half with pressurized movement.

This movement behind the pressure of a stiff jab can create open lanes for Mbilli to unload far more serious damage as the bout goes on.

But he must set the tone early.

Produce a high volume early

Maciej Sulecki can be a notorious slow starter at times and a fighter who very much needs to work himself into a rhythm.

Therefore, Mbilli must take advantage by cranking up his punch volume early to put Sulecki on the back foot and in a rather uncomfortable place quickly.

As long as the French-Cameroonian fighter is forcing the action and dictating the pace, this can be achieved.

Detonate body-head combinations

Watch Mbilli work in the ring and you will notice a penchant for pounding the body with a left and raking across the jaw with a right.

It is Mbilli's best combination and one that can do plenty of damage against Sulecki who can be rocked despite showing a high, tight guard.

If timed right, Mbilli could even use this combo to snatch the WBC interim super middleweight title in devastating fashion.

Maciej Sulecki’s Keys to Victory

Get off to an earlier start

Sulecki cannot afford to get off to a sluggish start against an all-action fighter like Mbilli.

Whether it is his movement forward or touching Mbilli with the jab early, Sulecki must show a willingness to engage quicker.

Up the volume

Another facet of the fight game that Sulecki might be aided by is increasing his punch count.

In losses against high-profile opponents, whether it be Daniel Jacobs, Demetrius Andrade or Diego Pacheco, Sulecki's slow starts could have been negated by producing a higher punch count.

He will need to let his hands go more against Mbilli.

Catch Mbilli in traffic

If Mbilli is just too much for Sulecki early and the Polish fighter fears being overwhelmed, he could resort to timing a counterpunch and catching Mbilli in traffic.

Mbilli's busy style leaves him vulnerable for a counterpunch and the onus is on the veteran Sulecki to unload a fight-altering shot with precision.

He does this and his upset chances increase instantly.

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