By Alexey Sukachev
According to sources with knowledge of the details, WBC cruiserweight champion Grigory Drozd (40-1, 28 KOs) and WBC mandatory challenger Ilunga Makabu (19-1, 18 KOs) have agreed to the terms for a proposed showdown, which will take place in Russia. No dates or venues have been named, and no official information is available. Press officers for the “World of Boxing” promotional company, who handle Drozd, have yet to give comment on the rumor.
Drozd, 35 and ranked at #4 by TBRB, has been on a roll recently. He acquired his green belt with a convincing decision over Krzystzof Wlodarczyk in September of 2014, then defended it with a dominant TKO of Wlodarczyk’s teammate Lukasz Janik in May.
RSA-based Congolese Makabu is also running very smoothly as of late. He is 5-0, 5 KOs, since his only decision win (over Dmytro Kucher in 2013), which includes TKO over famed veteran Glen Johnson and come-from-behind stoppage win against Thabiso Mchunu in the WBC cruiserweight final eliminator. Makabu is ranked #10 by the TBRB (also #4 by the WBA and #6 by the WBO).