QUEBEC CITY, Canada — Super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli has had to bide his time and be patient, whilst waiting for his shot.

Mbilli, rated at No. 1 by The Ring at 168 pounds, will get his chance when he faces battle-hardened Maciej Sulecki for the vacant WBC Interim title Friday at Videotron Centre.

"I'm very happy to have this fight, I'm very happy to fight for the WBC Interim title," Mbilli told The Ring. "My last fight was 10 months ago. I'm very excited to be in the ring, I can't wait for Friday."

The 30-year-old will return for the first time since beating three-time middleweight title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (UD 10) at the same venue in August.

While Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) got the win, he didn't get the plaudits that he felt he deserved.

"It was a little bit frustrating after the fight because everybody saw his injury, but I was injured, too," he said. "Everybody said, 'He only had one hand," and I said, 'Me too.' I tore the muscle and hurt the elbow. I had an operation, but everything is good [now.]"

He had hoped to parlay that into a big fight earlier this year, but that didn't play out. Fights with Kevin Lele Sadjo and Diego Pacheco failed to materialize.

"I was a bit frustrated, but I know it's boxing," Mbilli said. "I started my training camp in January because in the beginning, I was supposed to box in April in Montreal.

"I was focused on my training and my life, but I know my team was doing its best to have a big fight, a big challenge."

Mbilli hopes to take out that frustration on his experienced Polish opponent and impress Turki Alalshikh, who recently said he would like Mbilli to appear either on the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard or one of his shows in 2025.

"I hope I will have the winner next, but we will see," he said. "Now I'm going to focus on my fight.

"I am very happy His Excellency looks at my fights. I hope after this fight we can have some collaborations with him."

Sulecki (33-3, 13 KOs), 36, turned professional in 2010. He won his first 19 fights at home before heading to America five years later. He scored good wins over Hugo Centeno Jr. (TKO 10) and Jack Culcay (UD 10) before losing his unbeaten record to Daniel Jacobs (UD 12) in a WBA title eliminator.

He returned with a win over Gabe Rosado (UD 10) to earn a shot at then-WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade before losing a 12-round unanimous decision. A four-fight win streak saw him step up to face Pacheco, who became the first to stop him in six rounds. He was supposed to be fodder for Ali Akhmedov (TKO 10) before springing the upset.

Mbilli vs. Sulecki, plus undercard bouts, will broadcast on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.