Written by: Shawn Cross
With Mike Tyson by his side, former world champion Badou Jack made his way to the ring in Saudi Arabia on Sunday as he plans to win the WBC title. In fact, the victory would earn the Swedish fighter his third world title in three separate weight divisions. First, Jack had to pass the defending champion, Ilunga Makabu of the Republic of the Congo, who was defending his third title. The fight was scheduled for 12 rounds.
Jack’s 27-3-3 looked good through the first three rounds against Makabu’s 29-2. The pace was far from fast, as this was a cruiserweight fight. However, it was clear that both men were experienced professionals. However, Jack was generally able to get knocked out without being effectively hit by the defending champion. That all changed, however, when – in the final part of the third segment – Makabu managed to land well on his leg.
A very thunderous shot in the fourth put Makabu on the mat. Makabu was able to get back on his feet, but Jack wouldn’t let himself be caught fighting recklessly. The man remained patient. Although Makabu was able to keep fighting through the next few rounds, by the middle of the match it was clear that Jack was well in control. Makabu simply wasn’t able to land any more well than usual.
As the fight continued on Makabu he was simply outmatched. In short, Jack was simply too good a fighter for himself. Makabu kept trying, but Jack always seemed to be one step ahead. While the defending champion was able to solidly knock Jack down in the dying moments of the ninth round, the nearly forty-year-old Jack was pretty much putting on a masterclass.
By the tenth round, Jack was simply hitting his leg and it was worth wondering if the fight would actually go the distance. A great punch dropped Makabu for the second time early in the eleventh. Once again, the champion got up, but now he took a lot of punishment. The twelfth and final round saw Makabu give it his all, but Jack’s powerful combination led the referee to stop the fight, giving Jack his third world title.
