Badou Jack won the WBC Cruiserweight World Champion title after a 12th-round TKO victory over Ilunga Makabu on February 26, 2023, in Saudi Arabia. Despite being 39 years old, Jack pulled off a stunning victory to become a three-weight world champion in as many divisions. He demonstrated his speed and accuracy in the ring, dropping Makabu twice before swarming him with a flurry of punches to secure the victory.
Makabu, a true cruiserweight who has spent his entire career in the division, fought valiantly but ultimately could not overcome Jack’s skills. The fight was part of the undercard for the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury bout.
At the post-fight conference, Badou Jack gave his thoughts on his fight and revealed that he wasn’t feeling too well before the fight.
“I was about to throw up before the fight because I can’t throw up I don’t have no energy to fight then so yeah it was it was tough my coach wanted me to move and box but my DNA I’m a fighter so I wanted to fight but so I got hit a little bit too much but uh yeah we knocked him down they underestimated my power just because I come in from a smaller weight but I can punch too and uh yeah we got the job done.”
This victory adds to Jack’s already impressive career as a former super middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder. He now joins the likes of Evander Holyfield, Bob Fitzsimmons, and Tommy Hearns as one of the few boxers to win world titles in three different weight classes.
