Badou Jack, a Swedish boxer of Gambian descent, claimed the vacant WBC cruiserweight title by defeating Ilunga Makabu of Congo in a thrilling fight that ended in the twelfth round.

The epic battle between Badou Jack vs Makabu resulted in Jack, a former super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion, dropping Makabu twice in the course of the fight before stopping him in the final round.

The fight started slowly, with both boxers cautious in the opening rounds. However, things began to heat up in the middle rounds as Jack began to land some heavy shots that shook Makabu. In the seventh round, Jack dropped Makabu with a perfectly timed right hand. Makabu got back to his feet, but Jack continued to apply pressure and landed some more heavy shots.

In the tenth round, Makabu seemed to be gaining some momentum as he started to land some heavy shots of his own. However, Jack weathered the storm and continued to land his own shots. In the twelfth round, Jack landed another huge right hand that sent Makabu to the canvas for the second time. Makabu got up again, but Jack continued to apply pressure and landed some more heavy shots that forced the referee to stop the fight.

The victory marks a significant milestone for Jack, who became Sweden’s first-ever cruiserweight world champion. He dedicated the win to his late trainer, Sven Fornling, who passed away in December 2021. Makabu, on the other hand, will have to go back to the drawing board and reassess his career after suffering his second career loss.