Cruiserweight and Heavyweight thread.

I wonder why they have decided against making the fight result a no contest.

 

Don't sell the saga short brother. It gets way dumber with all the extra context.

Posted this in another thread, figure this is probably the best place to give the rundown:

• In January 2022, Makabu defended his title in a rematch against Thabiso Mchunu. Consensus seems to say that this was a pretty blatant robbery. Can't speak to that personally since I never saw it, but it's worth noting.
• August of that same year, there's a final eliminator between Badou Jack and Richard Rivera, the latter of which had never even fought at the weight before. Despite that, he was winning the fight until the sixth, which saw a huge turn around for Jack... after the round went an extra minute, for some reason. Jack ended up winning the fight via split decision, yet another contentious decision close to this title.
• Canelo then announces plans to have a fight with Makabu. If I recall right there was even a press conference or face off or something. I don't know for sure, I didn't watch those things then and I don't now because they're stupid. Regardless, there were serious plans in place.
• Eventually those plans fall through, and Makabu instead faced Badou Jack on the Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul undercard. Jack ends up taking the title from Makabu after abusing him for 12 rounds straight, ultimately stopping him in the final round.
• Badou Jack is inactive for most of the year, and eventually it comes out that a fight between him and Canelo was being negotiated. It fails to materialize, and eventually Jack reveals it was because Canelo wanted the fight to happen at a catchweight of 180.
• Jack vacates to pursue the Bridgerweight title, and then the WBC order Noel Mikaelian vs. Illunga Makabu. Mikaelian makes quicker work of Makabu than Jack did, knocking him out in just three rounds.
• Mikaelian spends most of 2024 getting fights with Rozicki scheduled and then canceled. The initial date in June is canceled because Mikaelian suffered a cut over his eye in camp. The September date is canceled due to promoter Don King being in the hospital. Then the December date is canceled because Noel Mikaelian was in some legal dispute with Don King.
• In light of the most recent cancelation, the WBC orders the Ryan Rozicki and Yamil Peralta rematch to determine an Interim champion. Considering what happened afterwards, it seems like the plan was to crown an Interim champion and then strip Mikaelian. Problem is, the bout ended in a draw.
• So instead of stripping Mikaelian and elevating the WBC Interim champion as originally planned, they make Mikaelian the champion in recess (essentially code for "stripping, but able to be made mandatory when/if they fight at this weight again") and reappoint Badou Jack, giving him the rare distinction of being a two time champion from a single title fight.
• Worth noting, Badou Jack was never able to get a fight at Bridgerweight and had long since abandoned his campaign to get a title there. He also hadn't fought since initially winning the title from Makabu.
• Jack is ordered to defend against Ryan Rozicki, and Michal Cieslak vs. Yamil Peralta is ordered to determine a WBC Interim champion.
• Four months later, there's pretty much no movement on the Cieslak-Peralta bout and Jack-Rozicki is canceled shortly after its official announcement due to Rozicki getting injured.
• And now the outcome is Badou Jack vs. Noel Mikaelian. Both men won the title in 2023 by beating Illunga Makabu. Mikaelian got the opportunity due to Jack vacating and Jack's current reign began over a year later because of Mikaelian essentially being stripped. Neither has fought since their respective wins of the title in 2023, meaning this title fight will be between a guy who hasn't fought in over two years and another who hasn't fought in a year and a half.

 

We are not there yet, but the WBC cruiser situation is becoming an emerging contender to the "Cluster **** Title" that the WBA regular heavyweight title has had a stranglehold on for years

 

Rumor has it that Tyson Fury may soon be coming out of his "retirement". I would still like to see Fury-Joshua, and it would still make lots of money.

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I have a feeling that rematches or a trilogy between Joshua and Fury will keep them looking good and away from any younger top tier fighters in their prime who will make them look not-so-good.

Perhaps for enough time to be gifted a belt shot after Usyk retires.

 

They expect it to be THAT good.

 

It's a wee bit sad he has go get in great shape AFTER his big chance at history, but hey, whatever.

 

Julio Cesar La Cruz just beat Dilan Prasovic, apparently making him the mandatory for Muslim Gadzhimagomedov.

I'd previously read that Romanov vs. Yunovidov had been ordered as the final eliminator, just a couple of weeks ago in fact, but I guess maybe that's been scrapped in favor of this being for the mandatory spot? Can't find any mention of that fight on the WBA website, and it seems Prasovic was ranked number 2 since then so this makes sense as a final eliminator.

As for the fight itself, it was pretty neat. La Cruz got knocked down at the beginning of the second and I started having flashbacks to Zhang-Romanov. Unlike Romanov though, Cruz recovered and ended up knocking Prasovic down just before the end of the round, then ended the fight knocking him down three times within the first minute or so of the third.

Not a bad way for professional boxing to return to Cuba

 

Stephen Shaw takes on Raphael Akpejiori tonight.

I had no idea that Akpejiori is trained by none other than Glen Johnson.

 

Good to see Shaw got a big win!

 

Thabisco Mchunu is back with a May 1 date against 7-1 Amador Kalonji in Pretoria!

I like Thabisco.

 

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Prolly just old Brick Top big talking one of his guys with hypotheticals, but considering the fact that Turki has already mentioned this as one of his "dream fights for 2025," I could actually see it happening. Very premature of course, but this is the same guy who has suggested multiple fights that would involve guys making big weight jumps. Don't get me wrong, I've loved a lot of the fights he's been able to finally make happen, but some of his proposed fights are a bit out there so something like this wouldn't be beyond the pale.

But hey I'd welcome it. Anything but another rematch. I'm so desperate for one of Usyk's last fights to not be a rematch I'd even be down for Badou Jack moving up to fight him like he wants to. Obviously not my first choice and the outcome is obvious but... hey, least it'd be a new name for the record

 

Before long I was having flashbacks to Foreman-Lyle! Five knockdowns between the two of them within three rounds. Fun fight.

 

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Pretty nasty KO.

I hope Probox will try to make more heavyweight bouts. It would be awesome if they could make a mini-tournament of guys, who are out of the loop from the mainstream scene at the division. Guys like: Jonathan Rice, Ivan Dychko, Shaw, Shevadzutskyi, Jermaine Franklin, Kingsley Ibeh and others.

 

I would love this! The "Probox Darkhorse Heavyweight title"