Swede Badou Jack made history when he became the first Muslim to win a world title in Saudi Arabia after he defeated Ilunga Makabu at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Riyadh, on Sunday evening.
Jack, who was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but is now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, stopped Makabu in the 12th round to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) cruiserweight title. The 2008 Swedish Olympian forced referee Mark Lyson to stop the proceedings as he threw a flurry of unanswered blows in the last round.
After doing well winning two of the first three rounds, Makabu from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was decked by Jack with a right in the fourth round. Jack decked the 35-year-old Makabu again in the 11th round.
The Swede, who has not lost a fight since his defeat by Canadian Jean Pascal in a World Boxing Association (WBA) and WBC Silver light-heavyweight bout in Atlanta in December 2019, has now won his last six fights.
Meanwhile, this was Makabu’s first loss since his defeat by Englishman Tony Bellew in a vacant WBC cruiserweight title fight at Goodison Park, Liverpool, in May 2016.
Makabu was trying to make a third successful defence of the title he won when he defeated Michal Cieslak from Poland in Kinshasa, DRC, in January 2020. He had defended the title twice against Thabiso Mchunu from South Africa and Nigerian Olanrewaju Durodola.
