NOEL MIKAELIAN LANDS ANOTHER SHOT AT BADOU JACK AFTER WBC ORDERS REMATCH
The WBC announced Monday it has ordered an immediate cruiserweight title rematch between champion Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelian following Jack’s disputed decision win last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Jack (29-3-3, 17 KOs) retained his title via majority decision (114-114, 115-113 and 115-113) in the chief-support bout to Canelo Alvarez-William Scull. Mikaelian filed an appeal with the WBC following the decision. Now, the sides have until July 1 to strike a deal before a purse bid is ordered.
“The world knows I won the first fight, that’s why I’m getting the rematch,” Mikaelian, 34, told The Ring. “On just three weeks’ notice, across three countries and time zones, and with less than a day’s notice that the fight would be moved from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., he still couldn’t beat me.
“I’m still the champ, and with a full camp and the proper preparation, I’m going to prove it without question.”
Mikaelian (27-3, 12 KOs) accepted the fight after Ryan Rozicki was injured. Armenia’s Mikaelian never lost his title in the ring, either. He was named champion in recess by the WBC last year after multiple cancellations for a defense vs. Rozicki due to injury and promotional issues.
Jack, 41, was fighting for the first time 27 months. The Swede is a former 168-pound champion.
Badou Jack vs. Noel Mikaelian II - WBC ordered Rematch
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Re: Badou Jack vs. Noel Mikaelian II - WBC ordered Rematch
Badou Jack-Noel Mikaelyan rematch heads to July 15 purse bid
The ordered rematch between Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelyan is now subject to the highest bidder.
A July 15 purse bid hearing will determine promotional rights for the abovementioned WBC cruiserweight title fight. The two sides failed to reach terms in the 30-day negotiation period that was assigned on June 2, which forced this next step.
Jack, 29-3-3 (17 KOs), won their first meeting via majority decision on May 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The title fight served as the chief support for the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-William Scull undisputed super middleweight championship.
Mikaelyan, 27-3 (12 KOs), was an unexpected challenger when he accepted the fight on three weeks’ notice in place of injured mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki, 20-1-1 (19 KOs). The risk was not sufficiently rewarded, as many viewers believed Mikaelyan – who outlanded Jack 153-122, according to Compubox – deserved the nod.
It was certainly close enough for the WBC to grant a request in a filed appeal by Mikaelyan that called for an immediate rematch.
Should the second act move forward, Mikaelyan will be afforded a full camp for the opportunity to regain the title he held from November 2023 through last December. A legal dispute with Hall of Fame promoter Don King put Mikaelyan on the shelf, which prompted the WBC to downgrade him to “champion in recess.”
That designation was previously assigned to Jack, whose prior title reign was restored as a result.
Jack – a 2008 Olympian for Sweden who is now based in Dubai – won the WBC cruiserweight belt in a February 2023 12th-round knockout win over Ilunga “Junior” Makabu to become a three-division titlist. His reign was short-lived, as he vacated the title to pursue a shot at the WBC’s bridgerweight title.
The opportunity never materialized, though he was fortunate to return to the 200lbs division at a time when his old belt was up for grabs.
Mikaelyan won the vacant belt in a third-round knockout of Makabu atop a November 2023 card in his adopted hometown of Miami.
Like his predecessor, Mikaeylan saw his reign ended without a single defense, although one was scheduled – several times over. He was due to face Rozicki in a mandatory title defense, but it was repeatedly postponed due to an assortment of issues.
Eventually, Mikaelyan was revealed to be in litigation with King, at which point the WBC had him swap places with Jack and assume the champion in recess tag.
Jack previously held titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight. His reinstatement as WBC cruiserweight titlist initially came with the condition that he next face Rozicki.
The matter went to a purse bid hearing, which was won by Three Lions Promotions and originally budgeted for a late April date in Rozicki’s hometown of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Turki Alalshikh – head of Riyadh Season – intervened on behalf of Jack and added a six-figure sum to the total pot to relocate the fight to Riyadh.
It remains to be seen if Alalshikh, boxing’s biggest current financier, will find a home for the rematch or if it will land with another promoter.
Waiting in the wings is Poland’s Michal Cieslak, who claimed the WBC interim cruiserweight title in a recent fourth-round knockout of Jean Pascal. Should Jack-Mikaelyan II not move forward for any reason, Cieslak will be in position to challenge for the full version of the title.
The ordered rematch between Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelyan is now subject to the highest bidder.
A July 15 purse bid hearing will determine promotional rights for the abovementioned WBC cruiserweight title fight. The two sides failed to reach terms in the 30-day negotiation period that was assigned on June 2, which forced this next step.
Jack, 29-3-3 (17 KOs), won their first meeting via majority decision on May 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The title fight served as the chief support for the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-William Scull undisputed super middleweight championship.
Mikaelyan, 27-3 (12 KOs), was an unexpected challenger when he accepted the fight on three weeks’ notice in place of injured mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki, 20-1-1 (19 KOs). The risk was not sufficiently rewarded, as many viewers believed Mikaelyan – who outlanded Jack 153-122, according to Compubox – deserved the nod.
It was certainly close enough for the WBC to grant a request in a filed appeal by Mikaelyan that called for an immediate rematch.
Should the second act move forward, Mikaelyan will be afforded a full camp for the opportunity to regain the title he held from November 2023 through last December. A legal dispute with Hall of Fame promoter Don King put Mikaelyan on the shelf, which prompted the WBC to downgrade him to “champion in recess.”
That designation was previously assigned to Jack, whose prior title reign was restored as a result.
Jack – a 2008 Olympian for Sweden who is now based in Dubai – won the WBC cruiserweight belt in a February 2023 12th-round knockout win over Ilunga “Junior” Makabu to become a three-division titlist. His reign was short-lived, as he vacated the title to pursue a shot at the WBC’s bridgerweight title.
The opportunity never materialized, though he was fortunate to return to the 200lbs division at a time when his old belt was up for grabs.
Mikaelyan won the vacant belt in a third-round knockout of Makabu atop a November 2023 card in his adopted hometown of Miami.
Like his predecessor, Mikaeylan saw his reign ended without a single defense, although one was scheduled – several times over. He was due to face Rozicki in a mandatory title defense, but it was repeatedly postponed due to an assortment of issues.
Eventually, Mikaelyan was revealed to be in litigation with King, at which point the WBC had him swap places with Jack and assume the champion in recess tag.
Jack previously held titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight. His reinstatement as WBC cruiserweight titlist initially came with the condition that he next face Rozicki.
The matter went to a purse bid hearing, which was won by Three Lions Promotions and originally budgeted for a late April date in Rozicki’s hometown of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Turki Alalshikh – head of Riyadh Season – intervened on behalf of Jack and added a six-figure sum to the total pot to relocate the fight to Riyadh.
It remains to be seen if Alalshikh, boxing’s biggest current financier, will find a home for the rematch or if it will land with another promoter.
Waiting in the wings is Poland’s Michal Cieslak, who claimed the WBC interim cruiserweight title in a recent fourth-round knockout of Jean Pascal. Should Jack-Mikaelyan II not move forward for any reason, Cieslak will be in position to challenge for the full version of the title.