Noel Mikaelian vs Ilunga Makabu summary online, round by round, stats and highlights
Noel Mikaelian knocks out Ilunga Makabu in quick time
Noel Mikaelian takes the WBC Cruiserweight title with KO
The question marks hanging over Ilunga Makabu would seem to have been put to rest tonight. A former world champion who was once lined up for serious money fights, Makabu maintained that his loss to Badou Jack was a blip that could be righted. It would seem that may not be entirely so.
Noel Mikaelian made short work of Makabu, dealing him a third round knockout that would seem to be difinitive for the 35 year old's career. From the first punch to the last, Makabu looked outclassed. Mikaelian moved well and kept the southpaw always off balance, moving around behind his lead hand, and there was more than a whiff of Klitschko about the Armenian's footwork.
The knockdown in the second round had Makabu out of sorts and although he survived the round, the third round knockdown had him wobbling on his feet. The commentators at ringside thought that the wave off was premature, but the reality is that it was the correct call by the referee. Ilunga Makabu was unable to stand an in absolutely no condition to carry on.
With this win, Noel Mikaelian is the new WBC Cruiserweight world champion. He has gone from fighting for a shot to calling the shots and there are some difficult questions to be asked in the Makabu camp now.
Trained by noted Cuban-American boxing coach Pedro Diaz, Mikaelian will now look forward to defending, and possibly reunifying the four major Cruiserweight belts. Trainer Diaz has outstanding form, having molded champions out of fighters such as Miguel Cotto, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Filip Hrgovic, and Jean Pascal. His Mundo Boxing (mundoboxing.com) brand can now add Mikaelian to that list, and the sky could well be the limit.
Goodbye!
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AND THE NEW...
Noel Mikaelian is the new WBC Cruiserweight world champion.
NOEL MIKAELIAN WINS BY KO
The ringside doctor takes a look at Makabu before the round starts and everything is ok. Makabu goes in with a hook, trying to find a way to get back into this thing. Mikaelian is still moving, trying to get Makabu to use his legs.
Mikaelian knocks Makabu down! It is unclear if it is knockdown or not, the referee is trying to pull Mikaelian back as Makabu is wobbled, even before he fell. Makabu was unsteady when he stood up and the referee never bothered to count, just waving the fight off immediately.
Mikaelian keeps moving and makabu looks undone, Mikaelian lands two right hands and Makabu goes down! He is hurt!
Mikaelian stays on him and Makabu is in real trouble! He can't get a breath! Mikaelian is unable to finish it as the bell sounds. Huge round for Mikaelian!
Both fighters paw at each other, each wary of the other. Mikaelian has never fought a southpaw before so this could be a range finding mission for him.
Noel Mikaelian vs. Ilunga Makabu (WBC Cruiserweight title)
And now the main event. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the former WBC Cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu will take on Albanian-German challenger Noel Mikaelian for the vacant WBC Cruiserweight world title. This bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
CAAD WINS BY UD
The judges saw it 59-55, 59-55, 60-54 all for Corey Caad.
There is nothing in this fight, no way to split them apart. Let's see what the judges at ringside say.
The final round and the referee calls time to force Hart to have his shorts adjusted. They were in danger of slipping off.
Caad is heading in and trying to land a shot, but Hart is backing away. They are so close in this fight that this round might be the decider. Hart tries to draw Caad on with a feint but he doesn't fall for it. As the round ends, Caad comes forward and finally lands a couple of good jabs.
Hart is looking for an opening but Caad is maintaining a good high guard. Both are now pawing at each other again and is is looking scrappy at times.
Caad is looking a little less sharp than the early rounds, with Hart starting to land a few more punches than perhaps he would have earlier on. Neither is difinitively gaining the upper hand but the clear advantange that Caad has in the first is wearing off.
Both are lunging forward and managing to stay out of the range of the counter coming back, this is a very back and forth fight.
As the round comes to a close, Corey Caad lands a big right hand on Hart and gets him covering up in the corner.
Hart is trying to land a shot and is keen to come forward, lunging in at Caad. The counter punch is landiing well, but not doing damage. Just enough to keep him off balance.
Caad throws a hard right and backs Hart into the corner. They clench but there is no damage done.
Now it is the turn of Hart to throw a hard right hand, backing his man onto the ropes.
Caad comes out with his guard high as Hart is keeping his hands down and trying to roll his way into the shots. Caad finds a nice jab and backs Hart up to the ropes. Hart is quick and is moving well, but Caad is more clean, more composed.
Isiah Hart vs. Corey Caad (super middleweight)
Now we have a super middleweight clash between San Antonio, Texas native Corey Caad and Mays Landing, New Jersey's son Isiah Hart. The fight is scheduled for six rounds.
GUIDRY RETAINS WBA GOLD NABA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Jonathan Guidry is still the WBA Gold NABA Heavyweight champ.
JONATHAN GUIDRY WINS BY KO
They come out and go back to trading, Guidry is landing some heavy shots and while Escalera is matching him shot for shot, he has not been hit this hard before.
Guidry lands a hard shot to the top of the head as Escalera put his head down and Escalera takes a knee! The count comes and goes and he is counted out! That was huge!
Both fighters come out wary, staying out of range of their opponent's jab, circling and pawing, looking for a gap.
They come together in the corner and trade punches, Escalera is trying to bully Guidry, forcing him onto the rope and turning him, but Guidry gices as good as he gets and the fight moves back to the center of the ring.
The round heats up and they end the round trading again toe to toe.
Jonathan Guidry vs. Jesus Escalera
We now move on to the co-main event as Louisiana's Jonathan Guidry defends his WBA Gold NABA Heavyweight title against Puerto Rico's Jesus Escalera. The bout is scheduled for ten rounds.
Cassius Chaney: WBA Continental North American heavyweight champ
Cassius Chaney is the new WBA Continental North American heavyweight champion, although the end has put a dampner on the celebrations.
Word from the ringside is that Trevor Bryan can't feel his legs. We are all praying that this is only temporary!
Paramedics are now working on Trevor Bryan. This is worrying.
There is some concern in the ring with Trevor Bryan still on his back. He seems to be talking but has yet to get up.
CASSIUS CHANEY WINS BY KNOCKOUT
Chaney finally seems to have woken up. Perhaps he needed a few rounds to catch his second wind. He lands a huge right hand that slows Bryan down.
They work their way onto the ropes and Chaney lands a huge right hand and Trevor Bryan is knocked out cold! There is no count, he is out! Lights out!
The momentum of this fight seems to have swung entirely. From the sharper, fresher fighter in the early going, Chaney has become the one that is more cautious. Bryan is throwiing his hands more freely and wearing Chaney down.
Chaney is doing literally nothing in this round. Bryan is stalking and jabbing, working his way back into the fight. Chaney is still looking for that one big punch, that counter right that he hopes will end it all, but Bryan doens't look like he is buzzed even after the knockdown a few roungs ago. Perhaps Chaney should adjust his plan.
Bryan is out and trying to land shots but Chaney is still the one in control here. They both are looking like they are possibly taking a bit of time to rest. Bryan is in close now and perhaps controlling the round now, leaning on Chaney, wearing him out. As the round ends, they are in close and Bryan may have nicked that round.
Bryan is trying to work on the front foot as the round starts and he want to send a signal. Chaney lands a big right hand! Bryan is rocked and waobbles his way onto the ropes! He is in trouble here! Chaney is just loading up and landing that right hand at will.
Bryan is in trouble but somehow weathers it and it eventually slows, perhaps Chaney has punched himself out and didn't get the knockout.
They both have time to recover, but Chaney is landing that right hand still when he wants to. Bryan's nose is busted and his lip is looking in bad shape too.
Bryan looks plodding as he ups his work rate, but Chaney is still the sharper looking of the two. Bryan comes in with a jab and Chaney lands a hard counter right! Bryan is down immediately and he beats the count but Chaney is landing his shots almost at will as the bell sounds.
The heavyweight division is an entirely different beast and these two fighter know that they have to respect the power of the other. At this level, one shot can end the fight. They come out pawing, cautious, feeling each other out.
Bryan looks the more relaxed of the two but Chaney is perhaps a little sharper in his jabs. He lands a couple of nice ones that snap Bryan's head back. But the counter right is always trying to come back and for the moment, is only missing by an inch.
Trevor Bryan vs. Cassius Chaney (heavyweight)
Now we move on to the main card with the first of the heavyweight bouts as New York's Trevor Bryan takes on Connecticut's Cassius Chaney for the vacant WBA Continental North American heavyweight title.
This is scheduled for ten rounds.
ISAIAH RIQUELMY WINS BY UD
The judges saw it 60-54, 60-54, 60-54 in a unanimous decision for Isaiah Riquelmy.
The final round and both fighters have given a ton for this fight. This has not been a walk in the park for either man!
Hubbert goes in and throws somoe nice jabs but Riquelmy is trying to put together combinations. The number of shots is on Riquelmy's side, but Hubbert is keeping him honest with some hurtful counter right hands.
They are both holding on as the final seconds of the round come to a close.
Riquelmy is doing great work froom the outside until with a minute left in the round. He gets greedy and jumps in for a huge left and gets caught with an excellent right hook by Hubbert. He is wobbled and in trouble.
Riquelmy manages to get his feet back under him and lands an eye catching left of his own right before the bell.
In contrast to the previous round, both fighters are working from the outside this round. Perhaps the clenches wore them out too much. They jab and move and Riquelmy looks to have gotten the better shots in.
Both fighters are looking to work close, and while it is suiting Riquelmy, it is not what he wants to do long term. He is long and lanky, and southpaw to boot, and really should be looking to work from the outside more than he is.
In the final minute, they move back and Riquelmy finally begins to backpedal and keep his distance, and it starts to pay for him nicely. He lands a beautiful left and Hubbert is looking tired.
Hubbert comes out pressing the issue again and Riquelmy is off balance a little, but he does good work inside, catching Hubbert when they clench with some nice uppercuts. That sweeping left is doing some nice work as well.
Hubbert is coming in with single shots and although some are landing, he is taking one-twos and backhand lefts each time he comes forward.
Riquelmy comes out in his southpaw stance, with Hubbert working orthodox and trying to press his opponent quickly. Riquelmy is young, only 18 years old and widely seen as an up and coming fighter but needing ring time under his belt.
At the halfway point, Riquelmy lands a nice right cross to Hubbert's face, doubling him over for a moment. Hubbert is more cautious after that, wary of that left that is setting up an awkward right.
Isaiah Efrain Riquelmy vs. Rondale Hubbert (lightweight)
Now the next of our preliminary bouts, two American fighters in Rondale Hubbert out of Minneapolis and local Floridian Isaiah Efrain Riquelmy. The bout is scheduled for six rounds.
ALEXANDER CASTRO WINS BY TKO
The round starts with the doctor looking at Bobadilla, but the fight is allowed to continue.
Bobadilla has the look of a man who wants out of there. He comes out and lands a few shots on Castro, nothing doing any damage but enough to show that he is in there.
At the two minute mark, Bobadilla takes a great body shot and crumples to the floor. He beats the count but the referee deems that he is in no shape to continue.
Castro comes out looking to build on his success at the back end of round one. He is wary of Bobadilla's awkward southpaw look, but is able to land some snapping jabs, dropping Bobadilla twice in the final minute. The referee allows the fight to continue, but this is going only one way.
As the fight gets going both fighters are cagey, but Castro is trying to find an opening. Bobadilla comes back and lands a couple of jabs which seems to awaken Castro. He pushes forward and starts to land punches in earnest. Neither fighter is damaged by any of it but there is some good work being done by Castro.
Alexander Castro vs. Hector Bobadilla (middleweight)
We kick off the preliminary card with a middleweight bout between Colombian Alexander Castro and Mexican Hector Bobadilla. It is scheduled for eight rounds.
The King
This is going to be a solid fight on the card tonight. The raging cajun, "King" Jonathan Guidry is defending his WBA Gold World Heavywight title against undefeated Puerto Rican Jesus Escalera.
The Full Card
Noel Mikaelian vs. Ilunga Makabu (WBC cruiserweight title)
Jonathan Guidry vs. Jesus Escalera (heavyweight)
Trevor Bryan vs. Cassius Chaney (heavyweight)
De Von Williams vs. Marik Black (junior welterweight)
Isaiah Efrain Riquelmy vs. Rondale Hubbert (junior welterweight)
The main card is set to get underway at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT.
Tale of the tape
Noel Mikaelian
Age: 33
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6ft 3in
Reach: 75”
Record: 26-2-0
Ilunga Makabu
Age: 35
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 6ft 0in
Reach: 74”
Record: 29-3-0
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to Diario AS USA’s live coverage of the vacant WBC Cruiserweight title bout between Noel Mikaelian and Ilunga Makabu from Miami, Florida.
The landscape has changed since this fight was first conceived. Back in February, Mikaelian won an eliminator bout with Youri Kalenga for the right to challenge Makabu for the WBC Cruiserweight title. But when Makabu took a lucrative fight with Badou Jack, the apple cart was upset as Jack stopped Makabu in the 12th round.
The title gone, there was little sense in making the fight until things shifted again in September. Badou Jack vacated the title when he set his sights on the new Bridgerweight division and suddenly there was an opportunity for both Makabu and Mikaelian.
The Armenian Mikaelian is 26-2 with 11 knockouts and sees himself as the number one cruiserweight contender on the planet. Congolese Ilunga Makabu is 29-3 with 25 knockouts and wants to reclaim the title that he once held.