Badou Jack pulled off a stunning victory over Ilunga Makabu to become the new WBC cruiserweight world champion on Sunday night.
Despite being 39 years old and having spent the majority of his career fighting at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, Jack is now a two-weight world champion.
In a back-and-forth affair on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury, Jack, who was accompanied to the ring by Mike Tyson, made himself a constant nuisance for Makabu, while having to eat a few heavy shots of his own.
After a fairly even opening few rounds, in the fourth, the champion found himself on the canvas following a heavy jab from Jack, though he made it back to his feet.
Having not fought for over a year, the ring-rust began to show for Makabu, as he struggled to keep up with the pace that Jack was setting and in round eleven he found himself down once again.
Somehow, Makabu made it to the end of the round, but that did not matter, as in round twelve Jack unleashed a barrage of punches and the referee stepped in to wave off the contest.
It was a thrilling contest and it was clear that Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight world champion, enjoyed it, as he could be seen looking on in awe from ringside.
After the fight, it was nothing but respect between the two boxers, as new champion Jack said: “I was standing there too much and my trainer told me to box and move but I like to come forward and fight.
“Me and Makabu used to train together and he is still my brother.”
TalkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver was extremely impressed with the action that had just unfolded in front of him, as he said: “An incredible performance by Badou Jack.
“He rolled back the years there… he used his experience and whipped his right hand and did what all great champions do by jumping on his opponent.
“A huge statement by Badou Jack.
“This opens up the door for British fighters coming through, Richard Riakporhe is looking for that shot, could it be Badou Jack?… We did see a lot of vulnerabilities there with Badou Jack.”
