Noel Mikaelian gets his second chance: the rematch against WBC champ Badou Jack is scheduled for November.
Noel Mikaelian is to meet WBC world champion Badou Jack again in November 2025 – the hotly anticipated rematch in the cruiserweight division is imminent! Location and exact date to follow shortly.
The first fight in Riyadh in May caused heated discussions: According to CompuBox statistics, Mikaelian landed more punches (153:122) and was significantly more active, hitting around 300 more fists than his opponent. Nevertheless, two of the three judges scored the fight 115:113 for Jack, one saw a draw. For Mikaelian, who came into the ring as “Champion in Recess”, this meant a highly controversial points defeat – and the loss of his WBC belt.
“I was robbed – and everyone knows that,” said the Hamburg native and Floridian-by-choice. Even experts like Chris Mannix (DAZN) saw him ahead. Promoter icon Don King and advisor Anthony Girges lodged an appeal with the WBC – with success.
Mikaelian not only wants justice with the rematch – but also a way back to the top of the world. The 34-year-old continues to dream of title unifications with Jai Opetaia or “Zurdo” Ramirez. But first he has to get his revenge – against the man he saw “clearly defeated” in the first duel. The showdown is set. The justice? That will be negotiated in the ring in November.
Text by Robin Josten