Christian Mbilli will explore another path toward his first major title fight.

The Ring has confirmed that Mbilli will no longer move forward with his IBF-order title eliminator against Kevin Lele Sadjo. The proposed clash of unbeaten super middleweight contenders was being marketed by promoter Y12 Boxing to take place on May 8 in Paris.

Y12 Boxing claimed the rights to the elimination contest through a Jan. 30 purse bid, edging Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM). Y12 and EOTTM represent Sadjo and Mbilli, respectively. The terms of the purse bid called for the bout to take place no later than 90 days from the time of the hearing.

The May 8 was a point of contention for EOTTM, who felt “duped” in its being outbid under false pretenses. Furthermore, their side never agreed to fight outside of that ordered window.

“The IBF granted an extended eight days outside of the 90 days,” Estephan told The Ring. “My issue with it is that Y12 knew from the get-go that they were going to promote the show in May. They even sent a social media poster with the May date, which we looked at and raised the issue that it was outside of the 90-day [deadline].

“We were outbid unfairly.”

The timing was intention by Y12, though the promoter insisted it was for other reasons. May 8 is Victory Day, a major holiday in France and other European countries marking the end of World War II. This year will serve as the 80th anniversary of that historic moment.

Other financial concerns–such as having the assigned purses placed in escrow in advance of the fight—prompted the team surrounding Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1 super middleweight contender, to go another route.

Next steps were not yet determined by the IBF as this goes to publication.

Montreal’s Mbilli is the No. 1 contender with the WBC. He holds the same position with the WBA, though Caleb Plant (23-2, 14 KOs), The Ring’s No. 4 contender, holds the sanctioning body’s interim title.

With that in mind, the hope now is to fight for an interim title since the primary version of all four belts will be tied up for the rest of the year.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is The Ring super middleweight champion who also holds the full WBA, WBC and WBO belts. William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs), The Ring’s No. 5 contender, is the IBF titlist.

Alvarez and Scull will meet in a full unification bout on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As previously reported by The Ring, a win by Alvarez is likely to lead to a September showdown with four-division titlist and three-division Ring champ Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs).

Simply put, everyone else in the division will have to wait until 2026 for a title shot, or for a belt or two to become available.

Such super fights have prompted the sanctioning bodies to take a more liberal approach in approving interim title bouts. The Ring has learned that the WBC is prepared to make one available at super middleweight.

Diego Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2 168-pound contender, is rated directly below Mbilli in the WBC ratings. Pacheco is also the WBO No. 1 contender, where Mbilli is No. 2.

Ironically, the IBF previously ordered a title eliminator between Mbilli and Pacheco. The matter went all the way to the purse bid stage before Matchroom Boxing informed the IBF that Pacheco would not move forward with the fight. The unbeaten contender from South Central Los Angeles was already scheduled to face Steven Nelson, whom he defeated on Jan. 25 in Las Vegas.

Per IBF Rule 9.C, any fighter who abandons the purse bid process or does not honor the outcome will receive a demotion in the rankings. Additionally, said fighter is subject to a six-month probation period where they cannot participate in an IBF-sanctioned fight.

Pacheco is currently the IBF No. 5 contender, which would technically place him next in line for the IBF eliminator against Sadjo. Should the IBF honor its rules without exception, next in line for the process is Osleys Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3 contender.