Makabu vs Mabika

Who won Makabu vs Mabika?

Ilunga Makabu beat Taylor Mabika by technical knockout in the 5th round on Saturday, August 25th, 2018, at Grand Hôtel de Kinshasa, Kinshasa.

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).

Makabu vs Mabika stats

Back in August 2018, Ilunga Makabu stepped into the ring with a record of 21 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 20 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Taylor Mabika made his way to the ring with a record of 19 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 10 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Makabu had a massive power advantage over Mabika, boasting a 95% knockout percentage compared to Mabika's 53%.

Ilunga Makabu was the younger man by 8 years, at 31 years old.

Ilunga Makabu fought out of the southpaw stance, while Taylor Mabika was an orthodox fighter.

Makabu was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 1 more fights. He had fought 24 more professional rounds, totaling 168 compared to Mabika's 144.

Ilunga Makabu went into the fight ranked number 9 by the WBC at cruiserweight.

Makabu vs Mabika form

Ilunga Makabu had stopped 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to 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.

Prior to that, he had defeated Thabiso Mchunu on May 16, 2015, by knockout in the 11th round at International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Tamas Bajzath on December 5, 2014, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Centre Sportif Obercorn, Differdange, Luxembourg.

Before that, he had won against Glen Johnson on June 28, 2014, by technical knockout in the 9th round at Grand Hôtel de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of The Congo.

He had beaten Ruben Angel Mino on February 1, 2014, by knockout in the 2nd round at Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Activity check

Makabu's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 6 months and 24 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 10 months and 29 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 28 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 5.6 rounds on average.

What time did Makabu vs Mabika start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 9:00 PM UTC at Grand Hôtel de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, which was 5:00 PM EST or 2:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 10:00 PM BST in the UK.

What were the odds on Makabu vs Mabika?

Ilunga Makabu was a 7/50 (-710) favorite going into the contest, while Taylor Mabika made his way into the ring at 5/1 (+500) with oddsmakers.