Heffron – a former British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion – was no match for Mbilli as he was chopped down by a vicious left hook to the body in the opening 40 seconds.

The Brit’s face was a picture of discomfort as he keeled over, gasping for air. Heffron was subsequently counted out by the referee as he fell to the fourth defeat of his 35-fight (30-4-1) pro career.

Mbilli (27-0, 23KOs) remains undefeated and continues on his collision course with Canelo Alvarez. The Frenchman has been tirelessly campaigning to fight the undisputed super middleweight king and is currently ranked in the top three by all four major sanctioning bodies at 168lbs.

“I know Canelo is the best. Everyone knows that,” Mbilli said in January after his win over Rohan Murdock.

“I want to show I am the best of the division. My goal is to fight Canelo. I will do everything I can do to fight him.”

Although Mbilli’s record looks impressive on paper, he is yet to face a fellow undefeated pro or top-rated super-middleweight contender. To give himself the best chance against Canelo, he will need to step up the levels in his next fight – and it appears that will be the case.

According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Mbilli has struck a deal with three-time world title challenger Sergey Derevyanhcenko for a fight on August 17 in Quebec City, Canada.

The agreement was dependent on Mbilli beating Heffron. Given that he took virtually no damage in his fight with ‘Kid Dynamite’, the three-month turnaround is perfect for Mbilli, who will want to build on this momentum.

Derevyanhcenko has fought some of the greatest middleweight and super middleweight fighters of his generation including Gennady Golovkin, Jermall Charlo and Daniel Jacobs. Despite the level of opposition he has faced, nobody has been able to stop the Ukrainian veteran inside the distance.

If Mbilli can do what the aforementioned couldn’t then it would serve as a major statement.