ILUNGA MAKABU TO VIE FOR WBC AFRICAN TITLE IN KINSHASA

ILUNGA MAKABU TO VIE FOR WBC AFRICA TITLE IN KINSHASA.

DR Congo’s most decorated pro boxer Junior Ilunga Makabu (29-4, 25 KOs) battles Egypt’s Wagdy Attia (11-1, 10 KOs) for the WBC Africa cruiserweight title at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, DR Congo, on December 21.

Announcing Ilunga’s return to the ring, the World Boxing Council vice-president Houcine Houichi, who is also Africa Boxing Union president, said this is the first time the WBC Africa cruiserweight title fight is taking place.

“The Makabu fight will be the fourth WBC Africa championship,” said Houichi and also explained the criteria used to select boxers for the WBC Africa titles.

“The WBC Africa championship is for ABU champions and best rated African boxers. The winners in our Africa title fights are rated top 20 in WBC.”

The three WBC Africa champions so far are Nigeria’s light-heavyweight Okuwatosin Kejawa and Tanzanians, super-bantamweight Fadhili Majiha and bantamweight Ibrahim Mafia who will defend his title on December 26 in Dar es Salaam against Ghana’s David Gorsh.

Commenting on the track record of WBC and ABU, Houichi said: “WBC is the greatest boxing organisation and most serious and prestigious with respect to other boxing bodies. All great champions look for our Green & Gold belts.

“We at ABU and WBC do a lot for African boxing compared to others who just want sanction fees with no return to Africa while we train ring officials like what we’ve done in Zambia and Kenya, and recently in Uganda.

“We are buying Uganda and Malawi two boxing rings. We prefer to act rather than talk like some others do to promote themselves instead of the boxers who are key to our sport.Their interest must be our main preoccupation.”

Houichi will be in Kinshasa to supervise the December 21 WBC Africa cruiserweight title fight between DRC’s Junior Makabu Ilunga and Egypt’s Wagdy Attia and appeals to DRC fans to turn up in large numbers for this big fight to be supported by several undercard bouts.

The 37-year-old Makabu is a former WBC world cruiserweight champion, a title he held from 2020 to 2023.

Makabu first vied for the world cruiserweight title in 2016 losing to Britain’s Tony Bellew via third round knockout at Goodison Park in England.

Prior to his fight with Bellew, Makabu had won 19 of his previous 20 bouts. He made his professional boxing debut on June 20, 2008 in Johannesburg, losing to South Africa’s Khayeni Hlungwane who won the scheduled four-round fight through a first round TKO.

Makabu’s most memorable victory so far is when he captured the WBC world cruiserweight title in 2020 at home in Kinshasa outpointing Poland’s Michael Cieslak in a 12-round action-packed fight before a roaring crowd at Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa.

Cheered on by boxing-crazy DR Congo fans, Makabu started the fight well but it was Cieslak in the driver’s seat, stepping up pressure in the third round.

The southpaw Makabu weathered the storm to come back forcefully in the fourth round knocking down Cieslak with the Polish boxer returning the favour in the fifth round in which the referee ruled a knockdown after Makabu’s glove touched the canvas. The DR Congo boxer then dominated Cieskak to win the fight with scores of 114-112, 115-111, 116-111. He successfully defended the title against Nigeria’s Olanrewaju Durodola whom he TKO’d in the seventh round and South Africa’s Thabiso Mchuno.

Makabu relinquished the title to Sweden’s Badou Jack on February 23, 2023. Since then Makabu has not fought again, and his WBC Africa cruiserweight title contest will be his 34th fight in his successful professional boxing career.