Christian Mbilli’s team has had a lot of difficulty convincing highly rated super middleweights to face one of boxing’s most explosive fighters.

That’s why Montreal’s Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) was somewhat surprised when he learned Lester Martinez agreed to their intriguing, risky showdown on the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard.

Now that The Ring’s No. 1-ranked super middleweight contender has had time to closely study Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs), he thinks the hard-hitting Guatemalan will give him the hardest fight of his eight-year pro career September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“We have watched a lot of his fights in training camp,” Mbilli told The Ring. “He’s a very good boxer – very good explosivity, good precision. He has very good conditioning, too and I think it will be a very good fight. … maybe it will be the Fight of the Year.”

Various injuries have caused Martinez to withdraw from three fights on short notice since beating Gongora.

The thudding, compact puncher most recently was supposed to face France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-2-1, 12 KOs) on July 12. He pulled out of that bout due to a pinched nerve in his neck that caused migraines.

Mbilli still anticipates the best version of a 29-year-old opponent who has won 84 percent of his bouts by knockout.

“He has a good right [hand], a good hook, too,” Mbilli said. “He’s very fast, very quick. … I think he’s a very good fighter. He’s not very famous, but he’s very dangerous. I have to be careful. I think this guy is the biggest prospect right now in the division, but I think I’m better than him.”

FanDuel made Mbilli a slight favorite over Martinez, who also embraced what is unquestionably his toughest test. While Mbilli admitted this is more of a challenge than any of his five fights since facing Gongora, the high-volume puncher couldn’t turn down this type of exposure.

Not only did Turki Alalshikh publicly identify Mbilli as an all-action entertainer he wanted to showcase on this undercard, Netflix will stream Mbilli-Martinez to more than 300 million subscribers globally.

Mbilli has built a fan base in Quebec, where eight of his last nine bouts have taken place since March 2022. He has headlined shows either televised or streamed by ESPN as well.

Performing impressively on a platform this expansive should still make Mbilli, 30, more marketable, particularly if their bout is memorable.

“My trainer [Marc Ramsey] said to me, ‘He’s a warrior. He comes to fight. … He’s not come to run or dance or something like that,’" Mbilli said. “I was surprised [Martinez took the fight], but it’s good for me. I hope that after this I will have a better name.”