Badou Jack narrowly defeated Noel Mikaelian on points to win the WBC cruiserweight world title.
Swedish cruiserweight veteran Badou Jack (29-3-3, 17 knockouts) has secured the vacant WBC cruiserweight world title by majority decision in a hard-fought battle against Noel Mikaelian (27-3, 12 knockouts). Two judges scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Jack, while the third scored it a draw at 114-114.
Mikaelian had stepped in at short notice for the injured Canadian Ryan Rozicki, who had suffered a biceps injury three weeks before the duel. The fight took place on the undercard of the super-middleweight showdown between Saul Canelo Álvarez and William Scull.
Fight characterized by tactics
The first two rounds were tactical and offered little exchange of blows. In round three, Jack got into the fight with a strong right hand, but Mikaelian countered in round four with precise punches to the head and body. The sixth round then brought the turning point: Jack landed several clear rights, pushed Mikaelian into the ropes and hit him with a brutal counter hook at the end of the round.
Jack increasingly took control in the second round, while Mikaelian’s fitness problems became apparent. Although the German-Armenian once again produced strong scenes from the back in round eight and scored points with his jab, Jack used his experience and consistently worked his opponent’s body from close range in the final rounds.
As the scorecards show, it was a close fight – both fighters raised their arms confidently before the verdict was announced. However, Jack, who was already world champion in two other weight classes, was ultimately crowned champion in the cruiserweight division as well.