Badou Jack emerged victorious in a fight for the WBC cruiserweight championship against Ilunga Makabu, attaining a world title in a third-weight division.
The bout took place on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia and was a minor but remarkable upset.
Jack, who possessed championships at both 168 and 175 pounds, was uncertain whether he’d be able to handle the strength of a cruiserweight, but it was Makabu who had struggled in taking the punches.
He was marked down in the fourth round (in a somewhat dubious way) and again in the 11th and was severely destabilized.
Thereafter, at the 54-second mark of the last round, the referee Mark Lyson interjected as Jack was delivering a flurry of blows, which had likely secured him the victory on the judges’ scorecards.
Jack (28-3-3, 17 KO) put up an astounding display of his boxing prowess at age 39, while Makabu (29-3, 25 KO) appeared to be the slower and more worn-out fighter despite being only 35.
And the new! 🏆@BadouJack | @MostVPromotions | #PaulFury pic.twitter.com/wCNPBX46dl
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 26, 2023
Following his victory, this is what Jack had to say: “I was standing there too much. (My trainer) told me to box and move. That’s not really my style. I mean, box, yeah, but I like to come forward and fight. Makabu is a hell of a fighter. He’s an African brother of mine, we used to be training partners. He’s still my brother.”
Rest Of The Card
Tommy Fury def. Jake Paul via split decision
Bader Samreen def. Viorel Simion via first-round TKO
Ziyad Almaayouf def. Ronnald Martinez via UD
Muhsin Cason def. Taryel Jafarov via first-round TKO