How is Badou Jack still WBC cruiserweight champion after two years of inactivity?

41-years-old and inactive for over two years, Badou Jack is still the WBC cruiserweight champion. That is despite the fact that his opponent this weekend, Noel Mikaelian, has held the same title since Jack’s last fight

(Getty Images)

At 41-years-old and inactive for over two years, casual boxing fans might be forgiven for thinking that Badou Jack has retired from the sweet science.

A three-weight world champion, Jack still holds the WBC’s cruiserweight strap, despite his last fight coming over two years ago. He finally ends his wait for a bout this weekend, when he takes on Noel Mikaelian this Saturday on the undercard of Canelo-Scull live on DAZN PPV.

Whilst Jack currently holds the belt, he has not been the WBC’s champion at cruiserweight continuously since winning the title against Ilunga Makabu in September 2023. In fact, his upcoming opponent Mikaelian briefly enjoyed a stint with the strap, but since December 2024, Jack has reigned as the holder of the WBC’s belt at 200 pounds.

Watch over 150 boxing events a year live on DAZN - subscribe now

Here we take a look at how the belt has changed hands in the past two years.

Badou Jack’s four-division aspirations halted

At 41-years-old and inactive for over two years, casual boxing fans might be forgiven for thinking that Badou Jack has retired from the sweet science.

After defeating then-WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu via a tweflth round stoppage in 2023, Badou Jack found himself at a crossroads, weighing up another move up in weight, or chasing unification. Already a champion in three separate divisions, Jack declared his intention to fight for a world title at a fourth weight.

The newly created bridgerweight division was the aim of Jack’s next assault, with the Swede vacating his title at cruiserweight to move up the weight classes. But no bout materialised for the Ripper, with opponents hard to come by in the embryonic stages of the bridgerweight class.

Either way, Jack’s statement of intent led to the WBC declaring the Swedish fighter a champion in recess; effectively forcing the Ripper to vacate his belt. When Jack was struggling to find an opportunity to take over the bridgerweight division, cruiserweights seized the opportunity at the top of the class.

Still ranked highly by the WBC, Makabu was allowed to fight again for the world title, with Noel Mikaelian drafted in as his opponent for the vacant belt. Once again Makabu would fall short, with Mikaelian becoming a world champion via a third-round stoppage in November 2023.

That was the last time the WBC’s cruiserweight belt was up for grabs in the ring.

External factors prevent Noel Mikaelian from defending his new crown

Boxing waits for no one, and shortly after Mikaelian had become world champion, his first defence was being lined up. Ryan Rozicki was deemed the mandatory challenger, and a date of June 7, 2024 was set for the pair to meet. However, just 10 days out from the fight, Mikaelian was forced to withdraw from the bout after sustaining an injury from sparring.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

The fight was quickly rescheduled to September that same year, only for Mikaelian’s promoter, Don King, to fall ill. Without a promoter to properly schedule the fight, a purse bid was ordered by the WBC. Another date was picked, with Mikaelian and Rozicki slated to go head-to-head in December.

But there would be another hold-up for Mikaelian, who found himself entwined in a legal battle with his promoter. That nixed the fight, leading to the WBC setting up an interim championship between Rozicki and their number two contender, Yamil Peralta.

Days after Rozicki and Peralta shared a majority draw, the WBC revoked Mikaelian’s title and reinstated Jack as their champion.

Injury to Ryan Rozicki opens the door for Noel Mikaelian

With Badou Jack back in the division, normal service was set to resume in 2025. Rozicki remained the mandatory challenger for the champion, and as such, a bout between the Canadian and Jack was set for May 2025.

But weeks out from the fight, Rozicki suffered a torn bicep that would leave him unable to box for months. That has seen Noel Mikaelian thrown back into the title picture, with the Armenian-German stepping in to fight Jack in Saudi Arabia, this Saturday, May 3.

That means ownership of the WBC’s cruiserweight title will be sorted inside the ring for the first time since the end of 2023.