WBC cruiserweight champion Junior Ilunga Makabu (pictured), from the Congo, defends his title for the second time, against Thabiso Mchunu on January 29th at the Packard Music Hall in Warren Ohio. The southpaws clashed for the first time in May 2015. On that occasion, it was an action-packed WBC eliminator. Mchunu dominated the first half of the bout, peppering the slow starting Makbu with accurate jabs, combinations and uppercuts. He launched an onslaught in the third rocking the taller Makabu, who was glad to hear the bell to end the round.
But it proved to be a fight of two distinct halves containing multi segments. After the sixth, resilient Makabu came into his own, and started to force the pace. Mchunu says that he initially found Ilunga an easy target to hit, went all out for the KO, didn`t pace himself and gassed. Makabu dished out severe punishment in the ninth and tenth and then closed the show with a left uppercut, felling Mchunu who couldn`t beat the count. Six years later, the two are poised to launch a second volley of fireworks in a Don King Promotions show.
Makabu, age 34, has a record of 28-2 with 25 KO`s. He lost his pro debut against Khayeni Hlungwane via a first round TKO. From there he progressed with a string of KOs. We had to wait eight years before his next defeat at the hands of Tony Bellew for the vacant WBC title on Bellew`s home turf of Goodison Park, Liverpool. This followed Makabu's victory over Mchunu.
Makabu dropped Bellew in round one with a left hook, which summersaulted him backwards. In the words of Bellew`s Trainer Dave Coldwell, Bellew got greedy and was caught. But Bellew made amends in the third round, dropping Makabu with a massive right, to close the show with a KO.
Makabu patiently waited for his next opportunity and went to Russia where he stopped Dmitry Kudryashov. Then a majority decision win over Aleksei Papin and the next fight was against Poland`s Michal Cieslak for the vacant WBC title. Cieslak started strong and had Ilunga in trouble in round three, but Makabu again showed his ability to reverse adversity, knocking his opponent down in the fourth. He got stronger as the fight progressed in front of his adoring fans in Kinshasa and won a UD. And in his first title defense, also in Kinshasa, he TKO`d Olanrewaja Durodola. So now it`s time to fight Thabiso Mchunu, all over again.
Thabiso Mchunu has been in Mexico City for ten days, with his Coach Sean Smith and his team, training in the White Collar Gym on Palmas Avenue. They`ve secured visas from the US Embassy here to smooth their journey to Ohio.
Mchunu`s pro debut was in 2007. He`s built a record of 28 fights with 23 wins including 13 KO`s and 5 losses. In his second fight after the defeat by Ilunga he fought the mighty Oleksandr Usyk, who put him down in the sixth and twice in the ninth for a KO victory.
Mchunu`s nickname is The Rock, because he`s overcome adversity to become the number one challenger. He lost a close majority decision to Thomas Oosthuizen and then in his next fight defeated him by unanimous decision. He went to Russia to defeat Denis Lebedev and back to Russia again to defeat Evgeny Tishchenko, both by decision. Those wins earned him his opportunity to fight for the title.
Mchunu says he`s been in training camp for four months for this fight I\and has prepared to go twelve hard rounds. He`s five feet eleven inches tall and has a seventy two and a half inch reach. Makabu is six feet tall and has a seventy four inch reach. Somehow, they look taller and shorter than that?
In their first fight, both stood toe to toe and swopped a lot of very hard punches. It`s likely they will also fight at relatively short range this time and it`ll be another slugfest. Ilunga will look to start a lot faster in this one, while Thabiso will conserve his stamina. Both favor going to the body and throwing uppercuts upstairs. Like their first encounter, it`s unlikely to go the distance.
The obvious immediate focus is on each other. But the winner might have an opportunity for an even bigger payday. At the World Boxing Council Convention in Mexico City, Saul Canelo`s manager Eddy Reynoso gained permission for Alvarez o fight against Ilunga. This might be on Cinco de Mayo, if Makabu comes through this test. Alvarez is keen to become the first Mexican boxer to win world titles in five weight categories.
