Ilunga Makabu vs Thabiso Mchunu
The second meeting between Cruiserweight champions Makabu and Mchunu will take place at the Packard Music Hall, Ohio in the United States on the 29th of January 2022. The ring walk is expected to take place at 10 PM Eastern Time, or 7 PM Pacific, though broadcast rights have still not been negotiated in the USA, meaning those who want to watch the fight in real-time may have to rely on streaming services or international satellite stations.
The WBC currently ranks Mchunu as the greatest cruiserweight in the world, although the ring has him listed at only 4th place, whilst his opponent sits above him at the #2 spot. This fight could change all that, and Mchunu’s WBC belt is on the line as well, meaning boxing fans are excited to see who will come out on top on the day.
The Tale of The Tape
The two fighters seem reasonably matched upon looking at their record stats, but look a little deeper and things aren’t quite so simple. Makabu has a record of 28-2-0, with 25 of those wins by knockout. Mchunu’s on the other hand has a record of 23-5-0, which seems a little less impressive considering only 13 of those wins came by knockout. This gives a KO% of 89% vs 57%.
The Boxers First Meeting
Ilunga Makabu and Thabiso Mchunu first met five years ago at a Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mchnunu looked to be winning the fight during the early rounds but soon began to look tired as the fight reached its later stages. The judges had Makabu slightly ahead before the decisive 11th round, when a devastating punch from Makabu stopped the fight by knockout. It has taken years for a rematch to be organized between these two talented African fighters.
One reason why this fight is seen as being so important is that the winner will go on to fight Canelo Alvarez – these two boxers are not well known outside of Russia and Africa, and Don King Promotions feel that it is important to introduce the American public to these fighters before the matchup with Canelo. Trumbull County, Ohio, may not be the Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas, and yet this fight is still going to be one of the biggest matchups in the first quarter of 2022.
Betting Odds
What do the bookmakers make of all this? The results of the first meeting between these boxers does have some relevance on the odds being offered by bookmakers, but the site offering the best boxing odds has Makabu as the favorite at -182, with Mchunu seen as possible of creating a slight upset with odds of +145. A tie is priced at +1,800, if you fancy going for the real long shot. There are also odds on offer for a Tie No Bet situation, with Makabu being priced at -190 here, vs 140 for Mchunu.
Recent Activity & Form
Makabu has won five of his most recent fights, three by knockout and two by decision after going the distance. His last fight against Olanrewaju Durudola on the 19th of December 2020 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was stopped by technical knockout in the 7th round, so retained his WBC Cruiserweight Championship belt.
Before that contest, his fight against Michal Cieslak on the 31st January 2020 was won by unanimous decision – another WBC Cruiserweight Championship fight.
As for Thabiso Mchunu, he has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents. His last fight was on March 27th, 2021, when he won by unanimous decision against Russian fighter Evgeny Tishchenko at the RCC Boxing Academy in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Before this, he defeated Denis Lebedev on the 21st of December 2019, again by unanimous decision after a 12 round contest at Krasnoyarsk. These two fights were a turnaround for the fighter, who had lost his previous fight against Thomas Oosthuizen on 1st September 2018 by a majority decision. Before that, he had suffered another loss in a 10 round contest against Constantin Bejenaru.
In terms of activity, Makabu has been fighting slightly more often than his opponent – his last five fights have come in just 3 years and 4 months, compared to 4 years and 1 month for Mchunu. This means that Makabu has been fighting, on average, every 8 months and 5 days, compared to 9 months and 29 days for his opponent.
Perhaps more importantly, Makabu has fought a total of 41 rounds, meaning that his fights have lasted 8.2 rounds on average. Mchunu on the other hand has fought a total of 58 rounds – an average of 11.6 rounds per fight.
