Latest news with #IlungaMakabu
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.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Martin Bakole and Ilunga Makabu: Brothers in boxing
Heavyweight contender Martin Bakole will take on another prospect in Efe Ajagba on the 3rd of May on the Canelo vs Scull undercard. The self-proclaimed 'most avoided' heavyweight will be looking to get back on track after a second-round knockout loss to Joseph Parker in February on two days' notice. But what many don't know is that Bakole's boxing inspiration is his older brother, Ilunga Makabu, the former WBC cruiserweight champion. Their difference in name has kept their relation relatively unknown throughout their careers, but who are the brothers and how did they both end up as elite level boxers? Who is Ilunga Makabu? Makabu's professional boxing record stands at 30-4 (26 knockouts). Born in Kananga, the capital of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Makabu left home at the age of twenty and ended up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was taken under the wing of the late famous trainer Nick Durandt who helped him turn professional in 2008. The 37-year-old still trains with Durandt's son, Damien. Makabu had an early set-back, losing his debut by first round TKO. He rebounded with a string of nineteen back-to-back victories, winning all but one by knockout and collecting the WBC Silver and International titles along the way. It was a trip to Merseyside for the biggest fight of Makabu's career – facing Liverpudlian boxing legend, Tony Bellew, for the vacant WBC cruiserweight belt at Goodison Park in 2016. A loss by third-round knockout after dropping Bellew in the first sent the Congolese knockout artist back to the drawing board. A fight in Kinshasa, billed as 'Rumble in the Jungle II', saw Makabu defeat Michal Cieslak over twelve rounds to claim the WBC cruiserweight title in 2020. He successfully defended his belt twice before losing it in a twelfth-round stoppage to current champion Badou Jack in 2023. The former champion would get a shot at reclaiming his cruiserweight throne later that year after Jack vacated his belt. The South African-based fighter lost by a third-round knockout to Noel Mikaelian and has since only fought once, in a fight held in Kinshasa. Martin Bakole: The not-so-little brother Standing at 6ft 6in and weighing more than 250lbs, it is hard to see anything little about Bakole. He currently holds a record of 21-2 (sixteen knockouts) and is based in Airdrie, Scotland, via The Congo and South Africa. Bakole credits his older brother as the reason he left home. Makabu called him and told him to come to South Africa and train with him – which led to him accompanying his brother to Liverpool for his world title fight against Tony Bellew. Citing that the heavyweight game in South Africa was not where he wanted it to be at that time, he decided the UK was the right place for him and asked if his promoter could find him a fight. "I went there, but boxing in South Africa is down at the moment in the heavyweights," Bakole told Queensberry Promotions. "I decided to come here because my brother was fighting Tony Bellew for the WBC world title, which he lost in 2016. I told him then that I wanted to stay because, for me, boxing is now here in the UK." After being sent to Scotland for sparring, Bakole met his current trainer Billy Nelson for the first time. The 31-year-old is now settled in Airdrie and has been training under Nelson since 2016. Their partnership has been a successful one, with Bakole winning sixteen of his eighteen fights whilst being based in Scotland. He most recently lost to Joseph Parker for the WBO interim heavyweight title. Bakole will now be hoping to reestablish himself in the heavyweight division, continuing his journey on the path first carved by his older brother. Their shared pursuit of boxing success - though often unrecognised as a family affair - has shaped two elite careers across different weight classes. Watch Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez's historic night in Riyadh against William Scull exclusively on DAZN PPV. The PPV cost is $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; $24.99 ROW. Check price in your country here. Watch on any device via the DAZN app, including Smart TV's, smartphones, tablets; streaming devices, games consoles and any device with a web browser.
