29 days ago
NY Fights
Badou Jack met WBC cruiser champ Ilungu Makabu in the chief support bout for the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury card in Saudi Arabia on Sunday afternoon in the US. In this clash of ultra vets, Jack looked ultra sharp, he boxed smartly and well, and finished off Makabu with a flurry in the 12th. Six clean rights made the ref hop in; he'd scored knockdowns in the 4th and 11th.
The 2 division two time titlist Jack (age 39; from Sweden, living in Dubai) walked out with Mike Tyson, the one, the only; he came in with a 27-3-3 record. He started at 168 in 2009, won at 175, and has been doing cruiser since 2020.
The end came at 54 seconds into the 12th, and oh did he look happy as Michael Buffer announced the timing of the stop. This was one proud Muslim.
Makabu (from Kananga, Congo; age 35) entered at 29-2.
Badou Jack was on a five fight win streak, after losing to Marcus Browne, then Jean Pascal. In his last fight, it was a SD win, over Richard Rivera. Makabu has won ten straight since losing to Tony Bellew in 2016.
Mark Tyson got the ref gig.
In the first, both men went to the body, the lefty champ and Jack both started put to get a sweat. It started hot, it was 80 degrees at 4 PM, but had dipped to 69 by the time this one kicked off.
In the second, Jack got into a nice rhythm, he edged forward, very patiently, and got off first, generally. Jack seemed to have fresher legs, he moved well against Makabu, who’d been off for 14 months.
In round 3, Makabu picked up his pace, he’d get low, try to get underneath Jack. Badou Jack moved laterally, both ways, but Makabu was scoring some to the body. A right hook did land, though, at 1:10. Makabu looked to be fully warmed up now.
In round 4, Jack sent Makabu down at 1 minute mark. A right hand did it. That right landed clean several times. He was getting his lead foot outside the front foot of the lefty, and got good angles.
In the fifth, Jack didn’t come out too crazy. Smart guy, the vet knew a vet like a Makabu could settle and be dangerous. Makabu kept on aiming body, but Jack still moved deftly.
In the sixth, Badou Jack kept his focus, and his movement. Makabu had not very much imposed himself as the “bigger man,” who figured he’d welcome Jack rudely to a higher weight class.
In round seven, Jack bombed away with the right at 1:40, after spending much of the round moving. Jack got the round with better work in the second half.
In the eighth, it got closer, Jack’s legs were a bit heavier. But Jack’s right still stayed accurate. In the ninth, ring generalship from Jack stayed strong. We saw blood from the nose of Makabu, the right hand from Jack kept on pounding. To end the round, Makabu did land clean. The straight left caught Jack backing up. In the 10th, Jack kept making Makabu miss. And making him pay, he raked Makabu on the ropes. They were in each others' face, slugging.
In the 11th, down went Makabu, again, to start the round. Replay showed it was a right hand. He buzzed him again, Makabu looked tired AF.
In the 12th, Badou Jack flurried and stopped him.
