Latest news with #BadouJack
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Badou Jack vs Noel Mikaelian rematch ordered by WBC after appeal from Don King
A rematch has been ordered between WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelian, after an appeal by Don King Productions was upheld. Jack defeated Mikaelian via majority decision in May, on the undercard of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's win against William Scull, with some fans feeling that the result could have gone the other way. An appeal was made by Mikaelian's promoter, and has subsequently been 'granted' by the WBC. A statement from organisation read: 'The WBC Board of Governors has reviewed all the different matters pertaining to the Cruiserweight division and has finalized its voting process, which results in the following ruling. 'The WBC has granted the appeal presented by Don King Productions and is ordering a direct rematch between Badou Jack [and] Noel Mikaelyan. Free negotiations begin today (June 2nd), and if there is no agreement, a purse bid will take place July 1st, 2025.' There was further clarification of the cruiserweight landscape by the WBC, which outlined the status of its interim belt. Yamil Peralta and Ryan Rozicki had fought for the strap in December, only to draw and leave the title vacant. No 10-ranked Jean Pascal will face Michal Cieslak, rated fifth by the WBC, at the end of the month, with the winner facing WBC silver champ Peralta, who is ranked third at cruiserweight. Second-placed Rozicki remains injured, and so must provide an update to preserve his spot in the WBC's rating. The WBC's cruiserweight crown has been a point of contention for some time. Jack earned world-champion status at a third different weight in February 2023, defeating Ilunga Makabu with a 12th-round knockout. Makabu had been set to face Mikaelian, then holding the WBC silver title, in a mandatory defence, only for the bout to be postponed less than a month out from fight night. It was only a month later that Makabu would go on to fight Jack, losing in three rounds the belt he had held for nearly three years. In September 2023, Jack announced that he would challenge for a world title at bridgerweight, vacating and becoming champion in recess. Makabu was given a shot at regaining his belt against the new mandatory challenger, Mikaelian. However, the Armenian-German would produce a fourth-round stoppage to secure the vacant cruiserweight title and become a world champion for the first time. Mikaelian never got the chance to defend his belt inside the ring. A fight with Rozicki encountered many postponements due to injuries, before legal issues between Mikaelian and promoter King saw him withdraw from the fight entirely. At the end of 2024, with neither Jack nor Mikaelian fighting since their respective wins over Makabu, a decision was reached to reinstate the former as world champion, dropping the latter to champion in recess. Ironically, an injury to Rozicki enabled Mikaelian to get a shot at reinstated champion Jack.
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jake Paul reveals ‘hefty' six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ
JAKE PAUL has included Anthony Joshua in his "hefty" six-man hit-list of opponents after he fights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The YouTuber-turned-boxer returns on June 28 against former middleweight world champion Chavez in a cruiserweight clash. 8 8 But he is targeting even bigger bouts in the future, including against 41-year-old WBC world champion Badou Jack. Paul told his Most Valuable Promotions: 'After Chavez I think Gervonta Davis, Anthony Joshua, KSI, Tommy Fury, Ryan Garcia, Badou Jack. It's a pretty hefty list." The American revealed he is lining up an exhibition bout against WBA lightweight champion Davis, 30, later this year. Davis, 30, was in talks to face Paul this summer until he controversially drew against Lamont Roach, 29, in March with the two set to rematch in August. Paul, 28, audaciously called out two-time heavyweight champion Joshua, 35, earlier in the year. And he has claimed the two struck a shock verbal agreement to fight in 2026. He has also voiced lofty ambitions of fighting for a world title and claimed talks are underway with Jack's camp for a championship bout. Garcia, 26, is another big American name who was formerly friends with Paul until the two started to call each other out. 8 And Garcia - recently upset by Rolando Romero - revealed he would be willing to jump from 147lb to 185lb in order to fight Paul. KSI, 31, is another to have rivalled Paul for several years but a disagreement over weight has stalled talks. 'I would've beaten him' - Jake Paul blasts Canelo Alvarez's win over William Scull and but says shock fight WILL happen Paul's next fight is at the 14st 4lb cruiserweight limit of 200lb having beaten Mike Tyson, 58, at heavyweight weighing 227lb (16st 2lb). Meanwhile, KSI's last fight came in defeat to Fury, 26, in October 2023 at 183lb over a STONE lighter than Paul's fighting weight. Paul himself wants to rematch Fury after his split-decision loss in 2023 - which stands as his first and only defeat so far. He said: 'I definitely think that will happen at some point Tommy just has to be realistic about what he's worth and taking the amazing deal that we had. "I can fight any big name opponents all Tommy has is me. But I do wanna make the rematch happen and I definitely know that I'm going to destroy and knock him out. "Based off his last fight, he hasn't got any better whereas I have two and a half years worth of more experience. "And better preparation, better coaches, better diet, better everything. "I'm just a completely different boxer than I was when we got in the ring the first time. He hasn't improved as much. "He's been doing this his whole life so the level that he can get to is not going to change much versus every year that goes by I can increase expediently." 8 8 8 8 8
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jack, Yigit, Krajnc: Sweden's greatest boxers as former champion eyes further glory
Badou Jack edged a majority decision to retain his WBC cruiserweight crown against Norair Mikaeljan this month and further write his name into Swedish boxing history. The Scandinavian country might not be the first nation that comes to mind when thinking of boxing powerhouses, in part due to a three-decade-plus ban on the sport professionally. Despite being in force between 1970 and 2006, plenty of names have managed to shine on the world stage over the years, with Jack just the latest at the summit. Here are some of the other great Swedish fighters of all time who have left their mark on the sport. Ingemar Johansson Johansson competed from 1952 to 1963 as a professional with a record of 26-2. He captured the world heavyweight title in 1959 knocking down Floyd Patterson seven times in the third round before the fight was called to an end. Another notable win in his career was against the great Henry Cooper who famously dropped Muhammad Ali. Johansson knocked Cooper out to defend his European title in 1957. This victory also earned Johansson the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, and the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year. As an amateur, Johansson also competed in the 1952 summer Olympics, taking home a silver medal before turning over to the professional game the same year. Yigit was an extremely talented boxer, touted for success in the professional ranks after competing in the 2012 Olympics. He put together a string of victories before defeating Lenny Daws for the vacant EBU European super lightweight title in 2017. The World Boxing Super Series was next for Yigit, who challenged for the vacant IBF super lightweight title in the quarter finals. He would come up short against Ivan Baranchyk with the fight being stopped in the seventh round. Yigit remained active until last year when he announced his retirement from boxing with a record of 29-4. Armand Krajnc Krajnc, known as 'The Lion', competed professionally from 1996 to 2004, with a record of 29-3, winning 21 of his bouts by knockout. In 1999, 'The Lion' captured the WBO middleweight title by defeating Jason Matthews via technical knockout. He defended his title three times before his reign came to an end in 2002, losing a unanimous decision to Harry Simon. After moving up to the super-middleweight division, Krajnc faced Sven Ottke in 2004 for the unified WBA (Super) and IBF titles – but was unsuccessful and retired immediately after the fight. Maria Lindberg Lindberg is an accomplished boxer, claiming the Swedish Amateur title before debuting as a professional in 2003. Claiming her first world title in 2009, Lindberg would go on to claim the WIBF and WIBA super welterweight titles. She fought for the WBF and WBO middle weight titles in 2014, losing out to Christina Hammer. In April 2021, she stepped in as a late replacement to challenge Savannah Marshall for the WBO middleweight title but was defeated by a third-round knockout. Later that year, in November, she contended for the vacant WBA and IBO super welterweight titles against Hannah Rankin but lost by unanimous decision. Frida Wallberg Nicknamed 'Golden Girl', Wallberg competed from 2004 to 2013, collating a record of 11-1 professionally. Before turning pro, she won the 2001 Women's World Amateur Championship. She would carry this momentum into her professional career, remaining undefeated and winning the WBC super featherweight world title in 2010. Wallberg would also defeat Amanda Serrano in 2012 to defend her world title. This is Serrano's only defeat that was not at the hands of Katie Taylor. Wallberg's career was cut short by a brain injury in a knockout loss to Diana Prazak in her achievements would not go unrecognised as she was inducted into the Women's Boxing Hall of Fame this year. Erik Skoglund Erik Skoglund made is professional debut in 2010 and went undefeated in his first 25 fights collecting the EBU European Union, IBF Inter-Continental and IBO International Light heavyweight belts. After dropping down to super middleweight to join the World Boxing Super Series in 2017, Skoglund would face Callum Smith who admitted that the Swede was the best boxer he had been scheduled against. Smith won a close-but-unanimous decision. Skoglund's career ended after a traumatic brain injury he suffered in sparring shortly after his fight with Smith, forcing him into early retirement. Badou Jack Badou Jack, born October 31, 1983, in Stockholm, is a professional boxer and former world champion in three weight classes. He won the WBC super middleweight title in 2015 by defeating Anthony Dirrell and later held the WBA (Regular) light heavyweight title and the WBC cruiserweight title. Jack has fought elite opponents including James DeGale, Adonis Stevenson, and Jean Pascal. Now 41, Jack picked up another title defence this month, and will hope he can move towards a potential unification bout in an increasingly crowded cruiserweight division. DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. It is not just about fight night, a DAZN membership also includes access to documentaries and features, weekly magazine shows, live fight watchalongs, press conferences, weight-ins, open workouts, exclusive interviews and access to training camps, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Opetaia, Zurdo, Jack & more: Cruiserweight division gears up for unification
Badou Jack will defend his recently re-inherited WBC world title against previous holder, Noel Mikaelian, on the Canelo-Scull undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 3 live on DAZN PPV. Since the departure of undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, the cruiserweight landscape has been in flux. So, who are the players at the top of the division and who is lining themselves up to be the next king of the cruiserweights? Watch over 150 boxing events a year live on DAZN - subscribe now Badou Jack Badou Jack started his career as a super middleweight in 2009, where he won the WBC title in 2014 against Anthony Dirrell. Two years later, he would fight to a majority draw with James DeGale while attempting to unify the division. A brief foray into the light heavyweight division saw him win the WBA (Regular) belt against Nathan Cleverly in 2017 and challenge Adonis Stevenson for his WBC world title in 2018. But once again Jack fell short with another draw. Two further losses in the light heavyweight division followed against Marcus Browne and Jean Pascal before the Swede decided to move to cruiserweight. A string of five wins landed Jack in an underdog world title fight with Ilunga Makabu. 'The Ripper' upset the bookies by knocking Makabu out in the twelfth round to claim his second WBC world title. Now 41 and coming off a two-year layoff that saw him vacate his belt in a failed move to bridgerweight, Jack re-inherited his WBC strap at the end of last year. He defends that belt this weekend with the aim to have one final run at unifying the cruiserweight division. Jai Opetaia Jai Opetaia currently holds the Ring Magazine and IBF world titles and is ranked as the number one cruiserweight in the world, according to BoxRec. The Aussie has quickly risen through the ranks as a cruiserweight with an impressive record of 27-0 and 21 knockouts - he claimed the IBF world title in 2022 by beating Mairis Briedis over twelve rounds in a statement win against a two-time champion of the division. Since capturing his world title, Opetaia has dispatched all-comers - including a rematch with Briedis. He has a defence scheduled against Claudio Squeo in June. If he comes through this, that will put himself on a unification collision course with the recently crowned champion Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez 'Zurdo' Ramirez is another of the cruiserweight champions who began his career at a lower weight division, making his debut in 2009 as a middleweight. His world title success would only begin once he entered the super middleweight division, claiming the WBO title against the experienced two-weight world champion Arthur Abraham. Light heavyweight was next and although he could not claim a world title, he pushed himself against the best the division had to offer in Dmitry Bivol who outpointed the Mexican, forcing him to push his ambitions up another weight class. Two successive wins at cruiserweight were enough to land 'Zurdo' a shot at Chris Billam-Smith and his titles. Ramirez would outpoint 'The Gentleman' to claim the WBO and WBA cruiserweight world championships. Currently running parallel to Opetaia, with a defence scheduled in June, Ramirez will be hoping that a fight with the Australian knockout artist is next. Chris Billam-Smith As the recently deposed WBO cruiserweight champion, it would be remiss to not mention Chris Billam-Smith. Debuting in 2017, 'The Gentleman' has been a lifetime cruiserweight and has climbed his way to the top of the division claiming national, European, and intercontinental titles along the way. Billam-Smith's career suffered an early set back when he lost a split decision to his rival Richard Riakporhe, which he would be unable to avenge for five years. Years of hard work finally paid off for 'The Gentleman' in 2023 when he challenged for the WBO world title held by fellow Brit Lawrence Okolie. The performance of a lifetime saw Billam-Smith claim his first world title. After losing his world title to 'Zurdo', Billam-Smith wanted to be fighting for a world title again as soon as possible. A decisive bounce back win on April 26 against Brandon Glanton has put him back in the conversation and put his undisputed dream back on track. Who's up next? Viddal Riley, just last week, announced himself as a cruiserweight contender to watch out for, beating Cheavon Clarke, moving to 13-0 and claiming the British cruiserweight title on the undercard of Eubank Jr vs Benn. Roman Fress is also slowly positioning himself in the picture as one of the next in line for a chance at a world title, holding a record of 22-1 and fighting six times in the last two years. The German recently claimed the WBC international cruiserweight title, putting his name in the conversation at world-title level.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How is Badou Jack still WBC cruiserweight champion after two years of inactivity?
At 41-years-old and inactive for over two years, casual boxing fans might be forgiven for thinking that Badou Jack has retired from the sweet science. A three-weight world champion, Jack still holds the WBC 's cruiserweight strap, despite his last fight coming over two years ago. He finally ends his wait for a bout this weekend, when he takes on Noel Mikaelian this Saturday on the undercard of Canelo-Scull live on DAZN PPV. Whilst Jack currently holds the belt, he has not been the WBC's champion at cruiserweight continuously since winning the title against Ilunga Makabu in September 2023. In fact, his upcoming opponent Mikaelian briefly enjoyed a stint with the strap, but since December 2024, Jack has reigned as the holder of the WBC's belt at 200 pounds. Watch over 150 boxing events a year live on DAZN - subscribe now Here we take a look at how the belt has changed hands in the past two years. Badou Jack's four-division aspirations halted At 41-years-old and inactive for over two years, casual boxing fans might be forgiven for thinking that Badou Jack has retired from the sweet science. After defeating then-WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu via a tweflth round stoppage in 2023, Badou Jack found himself at a crossroads, weighing up another move up in weight, or chasing unification. Already a champion in three separate divisions, Jack declared his intention to fight for a world title at a fourth weight. The newly created bridgerweight division was the aim of Jack's next assault, with the Swede vacating his title at cruiserweight to move up the weight classes. But no bout materialised for the Ripper, with opponents hard to come by in the embryonic stages of the bridgerweight class. Either way, Jack's statement of intent led to the WBC declaring the Swedish fighter a champion in recess; effectively forcing the Ripper to vacate his belt. When Jack was struggling to find an opportunity to take over the bridgerweight division, cruiserweights seized the opportunity at the top of the class. Still ranked highly by the WBC, Makabu was allowed to fight again for the world title, with Noel Mikaelian drafted in as his opponent for the vacant belt. Once again Makabu would fall short, with Mikaelian becoming a world champion via a third-round stoppage in November 2023. That was the last time the WBC's cruiserweight belt was up for grabs in the ring. External factors prevent Noel Mikaelian from defending his new crown Boxing waits for no one, and shortly after Mikaelian had become world champion, his first defence was being lined up. Ryan Rozicki was deemed the mandatory challenger, and a date of June 7, 2024 was set for the pair to meet. However, just 10 days out from the fight, Mikaelian was forced to withdraw from the bout after sustaining an injury from sparring. The fight was quickly rescheduled to September that same year, only for Mikaelian's promoter, Don King, to fall ill. Without a promoter to properly schedule the fight, a purse bid was ordered by the WBC. Another date was picked, with Mikaelian and Rozicki slated to go head-to-head in December. But there would be another hold-up for Mikaelian, who found himself entwined in a legal battle with his promoter. That nixed the fight, leading to the WBC setting up an interim championship between Rozicki and their number two contender, Yamil Peralta. Days after Rozicki and Peralta shared a majority draw, the WBC revoked Mikaelian's title and reinstated Jack as their champion. Injury to Ryan Rozicki opens the door for Noel Mikaelian With Badou Jack back in the division, normal service was set to resume in 2025. Rozicki remained the mandatory challenger for the champion, and as such, a bout between the Canadian and Jack was set for May 2025. But weeks out from the fight, Rozicki suffered a torn bicep that would leave him unable to box for months. That has seen Noel Mikaelian thrown back into the title picture, with the Armenian-German stepping in to fight Jack in Saudi Arabia, this Saturday, May 3.
