Makabu vs Cieslak

Who won Makabu vs Cieslak?

Ilunga Makabu beat Michal Cieslak by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Friday, January 31st, 2020, Kinshasa.

The scorecards were announced as 114-112, 116-111, 114-111 in favor of winner Ilunga Makabu.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which meant the weight limit was 200 pounds (14.3 stone or 90.7 kg).

This contest was for the WBC cruiserweight championship of the world.

Makabu vs Cieslak stats

Back in January 2020, Ilunga Makabu stepped into the ring with a record of 26 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 24 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Michal Cieslak made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 19 wins and 0 draws, with 13 of those by knockout.

The stats suggested Makabu had a large advantage in power over Cieslak, boasting a 92% knockout percentage compared to Cieslak's 68%.

Ilunga Makabu was the older man by 1 year, at 32 years old.

Cieslak had a height advantage of 3 inches over Makabu. That also extended to a 5-inch reach advantage.

Ilunga Makabu fought out of the southpaw stance, while Michal Cieslak was an orthodox fighter.

Makabu was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 9 more fights, and made his debut in 2008, 5 years earlier than Cieslak, whose first professional fight was in 2013. He had fought 32 more professional rounds, totaling 168 compared to Cieslak's 136.

Ilunga Makabu went into the fight ranked number 1 by the WBC at cruiserweight.

Michal Cieslak was ranked number 2 by the WBC in the 200lb division.

Makabu vs Cieslak form

Makabu had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Aleksei Papin on August 24, 2019, by majority decision in their 12 round contest at Traktor Sport Palace, Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Prior to that, he had defeated Dmitry Kudryashov on June 16, 2019, by technical knockout in the 5th round at KRK “Uralets”, Ekaterinburg.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Taylor Mabika on August 25, 2018, by technical knockout in the 5th round at Grand Hôtel de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of The Congo.

Before that, he had been beaten by Tony Bellew on May 29, 2016, by technical knockout in the 3rd round in their WBC World Cruiserweight championship fight at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

He had won against Thabiso Mchunu on May 16, 2015, by knockout in the 11th round at International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa.

Activity check

Makabu's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 8 months and 15 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 11 months and 10 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 36 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 7.2 rounds on average.

Cieslak's last 3 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 7 months and 15 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 6 months and 17 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 14 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 4.7 rounds on average.

What time did Makabu vs Cieslak start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 8:00 PM UTC at Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of The, which was 3:00 PM EST or 12:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 8:00 PM GMT in the UK.

What were the odds on Makabu vs Cieslak?

Ilunga Makabu was a 1/2 (-200) favorite going into the contest, while Michal Cieslak made his way into the ring at 31/20 (+150) with oddsmakers.