MAKABU WINS WBC AFRICA TITLE

MAKABU WINS WBC AFRICA TITLE

DR Congo’s most decorated pro boxer Junior Makabu Ilunga returned to action with a third round knock out win over Egypt’s Wagdy Attia to capture the World Boxing Council (WBC) Africa cruiserweight title at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa on December 21.

The 37-year-old southpaw Makabu, elder brother to Martin Bakole (21-1-0), had no time to waste with the Egyptian whom he flattened in the third round to redeem his career after two consecutive defeats last year.

The Kinshasa fight was promoted by the Congolese Boxing Federation President Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo and supervised by WBC vice-president Houcine Houichi who’s also the Africa Boxing Union President.

With that victory, Makabu improved his ring record to 30-4-0, 25 KOs while Attia dropped to 11-2-0.

It was an inspiring win for the South Africa-based Makabu whose last fight was in November, 2023, against Armenian-German Norair Mikaelian who defeated Makabu via a third round TKO to win the vacant WBC cruiserweight title.

Makabu was aiming to regain his title after losing to Sweden’s Badou Jack. He stopped Makabu in the 12th round at Miami Jai-Alai in Florida. Jack later vacated the title and moved up to bridgerweight category, paving way for mandatory challenger Mikaelian face Makabu.

The DR Congo boxer won WBC cruiserweight title in 2020 when he outpointed Poland’s Michael Cieslak in a 12-round encounter at the Temporary Park Arena in Kinshasa.

In his first defence of the titie, Makabu KO’d Nigeria’s Africa cruiserweight champion, Olanrewaju Durodola, in the seventh round at the Studio Mama Angebi in Kinshasa.

Makabu made the second successful defence of his title by outpointing South Africa’s Thabiso Mchunu via a split points decision at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio.

Inspired by his victory over Mchunu, Makabu called out undisputed super middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez.

“My next fight is against Canelo Alvarez, I’ll knock you out,” roared Makabu, the DRC lion.