Who won Makabu vs Mchunu II?
Ilunga Makabu beat Thabiso Mchunu by split decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, January 29th, 2022, at Packard Music Hall, Ohio.
The scorecards were announced as 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 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.
The undercard featured the clash of Bryan vs Guidry for the WBA World Heavyweight championship.
Makabu vs Mchunu II stats
Back in January 2022, Ilunga Makabu stepped into the ring with a record of 28 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 25 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Thabiso Mchunu made his way to the ring with a record of 23 wins, 5 losses and 0 draws, with 13 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggested Makabu had a massive power advantage over Mchunu, boasting a 89% knockout percentage compared to Mchunu's 57%.
Ilunga Makabu was the same age as Thabiso Mchunu, at 34 years old.
Makabu had a height advantage of 1 inch over Mchunu. That also extended to a 2-inch reach advantage.
Both Ilunga Makabu and Thabiso Mchunu fought out of a southpaw stance.
Makabu's experience as a professional fighter was relatively equal to Mchunu's, having had 2 more fights, and made his debut in 2008, 10 months later than Mchunu, whose first professional fight was in 2007. He had fought 51 fewer professional rounds, totaling 168 compared to Mchunu's 219.
Thabiso Mchunu was ranked number 1 by the WBC in the 200lb division.
Makabu vs Mchunu II form
Makabu had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 3 of them, going the distance twice.
In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Olanrewaju Durodola on December 19, 2020, by technical knockout in the 7th round in their WBC World Cruiserweight championship fight at Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of The Congo.
Prior to that, he had defeated Michal Cieslak on January 31, 2020, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Cruiserweight championship fight at Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of The.
Going into that contest, he had beaten Aleksei Papin on August 24, 2019, by majority decision in their 12 round contest at Traktor Sport Palace, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Before that, he had won against Dmitry Kudryashov on June 16, 2019, by technical knockout in the 5th round at KRK “Uralets”, Ekaterinburg.
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.
Thabiso Mchunu had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Evgeny Tishchenko on March 27, 2021, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Cruiserweight championship fight at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Prior to that, he had defeated Denis Lebedev on December 21, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Krasnoyarsk.
Going into that contest, he had won against Thomas Oosthuizen on December 8, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Emperors Palace, Gauteng, South Africa.
Before that, he had been beaten by Thomas Oosthuizen on September 1, 2018, by majority decision in their 12 round contest at Emperors Palace, Gauteng.
He had lost to Constantin Bejenaru on November 25, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Mohegan Sun Casino, Connecticut, USA.
Activity check
In terms of activity leading into the fight, Ilunga Makabu had been fighting more than Thabiso Mchunu.
Going into this contest, Ilunga Makabu had last fought 1 year, 1 month and 10 days ago, while Thabiso Mchunu's last outing had been 10 months and 2 days ago.
Makabu's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 5 months and 4 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 8 months and 7 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 41 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.2 rounds on average.
Mchunu's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 2 months and 4 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 10 months and 1 day. In those fights, he fought a total of 58 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 11.6 rounds on average.
What time did Makabu vs Mchunu II start?
The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST at Packard Music Hall, Ohio, United States, which was around 3:00 AM GMT in the UK.
Who broadcast Makabu vs Mchunu II?
The Fite.tv PPV US show began at 8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST. The Fite.tv PPV UK broadcast of the card started at 1:00 AM (GTM).
What were the odds on Makabu vs Mchunu II?
Ilunga Makabu was a 73/100 (-140) favorite going into the contest, while Thabiso Mchunu made his way into the ring at 6/5 (+120) with oddsmakers.
