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.
Mikaelyan (26-2, 12 KOs) knocked down Makabu (29-4, 25 KOs) in the second round and ended matters in the third with a crushing six-punch combination that dropped Makabu again to cap off the punishing performance.
Referee Gene Del Bianco called a stop to the action at the one-minute mark of the third after deciding that the staggering Makabu was unfit to continue fighting.
The cruiserweight contest headlined a pay-per-view event promoted by Don King on Saturday night on FITE TV at the Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida.
Mikaelyan – a 33-year-old Armenian – dropped Makabu with a double right hand with a minute to go in the second round. Mikaelyan pressed on the gas and unleashed a heavy barrage of unanswered blows trying to end the fight, but Makabu survived.
The ringside physician examined Makabu before the beginning of the third round, but Mikaelyan made sure to end matters on his own terms.
The first round was exclusively a feeling-out one, as both fighters cautiously tried to find their range without landing anything significant.
It was evident from the beginning that the longer and leaner Mikaelyan had plenty of pep in his step, and Makabu – who arrived in America from South Africa just before the Friday weigh-in – looked stiff.
Mikaelyan was coming off a February 2022 unanimous decision win over Youri Kalenga in Latvia. The win made the Pedro Diaz-trained Mikaelyan a mandatory challenger for the title Makabu owned at the time, but Mikaelyan stepped aside to allow for Makabu’s voluntary title defense against Badou Jack.
The Congolese southpaw Makabu first won the WBC title in January 2020 in a unanimous decision victory against Michal Cieslak. The 35-year-old made two title defenses against Olanrewaju Durodola and Thabiso Mchunu before suffering a 12th-round stoppage loss to Jack in February.
Afterward, Jack opted not to face Mikaelyan and instead vacated the title.
Mikaelyan joins a cruiserweight cast of champions from around the world.
The division’s other crownholders include Mikaelyan’s countryman in WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian (Armenia), IBF titlist Jai Opetaia (Australia), and WBO belt holder Chris Billam-Smith (United Kingdom).
The cruiserweight class has lost its luster in recent years after former undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles in 2019 for a run at the heavyweight division.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez might be inclined to inject some new life into the division in 2024.
The Mexican star has long desired to fight for a cruiserweight title in order to become a five-division champion.
In 2021, the WBC approved Alvarez’s request to challenge Makabu for the title he owned at the time, but a fight never came to fruition.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.