Junior Ilunga Makabu-Badu Jack: WBC cruiserweight belt on the line
Junior Ilunga Makabu-Badu Jack: the WBC cruiserweight belt is on the line on Sunday 26 February in Saudi Arabia.
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
In the family there is younger brother Martin Bakole (29, 19 wins in 20 fights), the giant who came to wider attention a few months earlier when he gave Tony Yoka a boxing lesson. There is also older brother Junior Ilunga Makabu (35), smaller than Martin but with punches just as destructive.
Born in Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, both boxers have won WBC belts in their respective divisions, according to the source. While Martin is still looking for a challenger, Junior Ilunga Makabu defends his belt on Sunday at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia against Badu Jack. The Congolese boxer had hoped for a more enticing bout. There was talk of Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez and a fight to unify all the cruiserweight titles, but it never materialised. Instead, the Leopard, with 29 wins (25 knockouts) and only 2 defeats, faces an experienced and dangerous challenger.
A former super-middleweight world champion, Badu Jack (39) is trying his hand at cruiserweight. He has 27 wins, including 16 knockouts, from 33 fights. The Swedish-born boxer represented Gambia at the 2008 Olympics and is coming off a controversial win over American Richard Rivera, also in Saudi Arabia, on 20 August 2022. He is ready to dethrone Junior Ilunga Makabu. “It’s time to rewrite history and win this WBC belt,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
https://twitter.com/BadouJack/status/1623109126997024769?s=20