Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle hasn’t tasted defeat in a long time. It’s been over five years to be exact. A ten-round decision loss to Tina Rupprecht in 2018, on the road in Germany, was her second consecutive loss. Seventeen wins in a row says a lot has changed. On Saturday, Valle defended her IBF and WBO 105-pound belts with a near shutout longtime former WBA titlist Anabel Ortiz.
Noel Mikaelyan made the most of his first world title opportunity in empathic fashion, stopping former world champion Ilunga Makabu with a third-round technical knockout victory to claim the vacant WBC cruiserweight crown.
Noel Mikaelyan couldn’t help but borrow a phrase from his Hall of Fame promoter to describe his plans to become a major titleholder this weekend.
Ilunga Junior Makabu and Noel Mikaelyan had the chance to meet face-to-face for the first time this week. It came one day ahead of their vacant WBC cruiserweight title fight, for which both boxers were well under the divisional limit. Makabu—a Congolose southpaw based in South Africa—topped the scales at a finely tuned 197.8 pounds in a bid
Ilunga Junior Makabu is ready to reclaim his old title. Any concerns of having to scramble for a replacement opponent were alleviated when the Congolese southpaw touched down in the U.S. from South Africa on Thursday. Visa issues delayed his trip by a few days but Makabu has arrived in Miami in time for his vacant WBC cruiserweight title fight versus Noel Mikaelyan.
Noel Mikaelyan didn’t seem bothered by his opponent’s absence from the final pre-fight press conference. After all, it’s not the first time that Ilunga Junior Makabu has failed to meet the long-waiting cruiserweight contender.
Nobody involved in the event yet saw the need to panic. Hall of Fame promoter Don King made light of the fact that Ilunga Junior Makabu was unavailable for the final pre-fight press conference ahead of his WBC cruiserweight title fight versus Noel Mikaelyan. The bout is due to headline a Pay-Per-View event this Saturday at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida.
Hall of Fame promoter Don King has decided to split his upcoming show into two separate dates - Saturday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 2 - both taking place at the Casino Miami Jai Alai.
As first reported by Dan Rafael, Dubai-based cruiserweight Badou Jack (28-3-3) has now been named "champion in recess" by the WBC. This paves the way for a fight for the now vacant WBC cruiserweight title between Noel Mikaelian (26-2) and ex-champ Ilunga Makabu (28-3).
In the main event, four division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner meets another Cincinnati, OH fighter in Chris Howard (18-2-1, 8 KOs).