There are places that hit you full force the moment you set foot in them. Las Vegas is one of those.
The dry heat wraps around me as soon as I step out of the airport—a scorching breath that clings to your skin and reminds you that the desert is never far. But it’s the other heat, the one radiating from the city itself, that’s the most striking: the roar of taxis, the glare of giant screens, and above all, the massive posters of Canelo-Crawford, as if the entire world revolves around this fight. Here, everything is oversized.
The trip had already started on a special note. While waiting for my flight in the Desjardins Lounge, I had the pleasure of running into an old friend, Baha Laham. A former boxer (although deep down, I believe a boxer is always a boxer, even after retirement), he was accompanied by his lovely wife, Tawnia. They too were headed to Vegas.
“This is the kind of experience you need to live at least once in your life,” he said to me with that familiar, knowing smile. And he was right: beyond the neon and the spectacle, there are Quebecers making the trip to feel the excitement together, to witness a unique moment, and most of all, to cheer on one of our own. Because Christian Mbilli, a Quebecer by adoption, represents us with a pride and intensity that makes you want to travel all that way just to applaud him under the bright lights.
Photo: BoxRec – Baha Laham
After about five hours of flight time, accompanied by Shawn Collinson, we walk straight into this electric chaos. The goal is eventually to meet up with Christian Mbilli, Marc Ramsay, Luc-Vincent Ouellet, and Philippe Gougeon, Christian’s strength coach and nutrition advisor.
Since they’ve been here for almost two weeks, they rented a house. They’re comfortable there. No question of staying at a hotel, where it’s easy to lose focus. Our team is ready, united—and yet you immediately feel the contrast between us and the city. Vegas runs on excess. Christian runs on discipline. While the casinos roar and the tourists chase a buzz, Mbilli marches forward, his mission clear: win.
Photo: Virginie Assaly – Philippe Gougeon, Marc Ramsay, Christian Mbilli and Luc-Vincent Ouellet
It Begins
From the very first steps, we’re swept up in the whirlwind pace of major events. Barely time to collect our luggage before Luc-Vincent and Marc pick us up from the airport. No downtime: we head straight to pick up Christian and Philippe, and off we go to meet the media.
In this dance of microphones and cameras, Christian fires off answers—often to the same questions—before stepping into a public press conference where the electric energy in the air already hints at the days to come.
It’s only after this first storm that we finally get to drop our bags. The Fontainebleau hotel, where Shawn and I are staying, is the definition of over-the-top: a luxury behemoth with rooms going for nearly a thousand dollars a night. Still, beyond the glitz and glamour, I need to ground myself.
So, as I always do on the road, I lace up my running shoes and set out to rediscover the Strip. Running is my ritual: my way of loosening up, claiming the space, and breathing in this new environment. And tonight, between the blinding neon and the still-burning sun, I feel like I’m moving through a movie set—searching for reference points in a world that never seems to pause.
Photo: Zuffa Boxing – Christian Mbilli, Dana White and Lester Martinez
Behind the Scenes
And then there’s the backstage. The bigger the event, the more players get involved. Promoters, broadcasters, agents, managers—each with their own voice. The result? Information flows poorly, gets diluted, even contradictory at times.
Réjean Tremblay talked about it earlier this week in his article “Mbilli is doing great, the rest is very complicated.”
But despite the organizational noise, one thing remains crystal clear: Mbilli is on a mission. His mindset is steel. His focus, razor-sharp. He moves forward, untouched by the distractions of roaring casinos or blinding lights. And that energy, that confidence—it’s contagious. Around him, everything feels simple, as if the machine is perfectly oiled.
Mbilli’s Army
I can’t ignore this small band of soldiers watching over Christian’s interests. Virginie Assaly, a true master of logistics, always planning several moves ahead. She’s an invaluable asset when every minute counts. She’s also my jogging partner when we’re on the road. With her, even a simple run becomes a recon mission.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Virginie Assaly, Antonin Décarie and Camille Estephan
Of course, Camille Estephan is here too, backed by Eye of the Tiger’s lawyer, Anthony Rudman. With those two at the front line, good luck trying to pull a fast one on us—everything is locked down tight.
This is no longer just a team. It’s a small army that has taken Vegas by storm.
The Weigh-In
Tomorrow marks the first real test: the weigh-in. A moment that boxers describe as a battle in itself—the one against the scale. Christian and Martinez will need to make the 168-pound limit, the super middleweight category.
As I write these lines, Mbilli is preparing for his final training session—a weight cut workout. It’s tough, never pleasant, but he’s never had issues making weight. Given how big this fight is, every detail has been thought through, managed, and monitored.
Philippe is there, laptop in hand, watching everything. The weigh-in may be a formality, but it’s a mandatory one: without it, there’s no title on the line—or worse, no fight at all.
And Christian, who loves collecting belts the way others collect stamps, isn’t planning on stopping here. Today, he’s stacking up titles. Tomorrow? It might be millions.
Let’s hope so.
