All talk in the boxing world this week has been about Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury and how the celebrity boxing grudge match is finally coming to fruition this weekend. However, before these two high-profile boxers step into the ring together, there’s another bout going down, which is shaping up to be an excellent encounter.
Ilunga Makabu from the Democratic Republic of Congo will defend his WBO World Cruiserweight title against Sweden’s Badou Jack. Both men are seasoned veterans on the other side of 35 years old and should provide a fantastic spectacle of power and skill ahead of the evening’s main event. We break down all the best bets to make on Makabu vs. Jack with odds from bookmaker William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 25th, 10:00 P.M. (GMT)
Bookmaker William Hill has this fight in favour of the defending champion Ilunga Makabu, but only slightly. Makabu leads the outright winner odds at 1.53 with Badou Jack trailing at 2.62. We say the bookies have got this one right as Makabu should come out of this clash the victor.
Since suffering a shock loss in 2016 to Tony Bellew, Ilunga Makabu has been in fine form. He’s strung together six wins with half of those coming by way of knockout. Admittedly, he’s not been boxing with much regularity, having been out of the ring since January 2022 and only fighting four times in the past three years. Prior to this clash, he’s had fights against Canelo Alvarez and Noel Mikaelyan cancelled due to negotiation breakdowns.
Badou Jack, on the other hand, has seen better days. The 39-year-old still has a strong overall record of 27-3-3, however between 2017 and 2019 he suffered two losses and two draws and has never really been the same. Although a former super middleweight and secondary light heavyweight champion, Jack may struggle for both power and speed at the cruiserweight level.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 25th, 10:00 P.M. (GMT)
The best bet here would be to back Makabu to win this one by knockout. The Congo native has won more than 80% of his fights by knockout and should have far too much power for Jack here. However given Makabu’s inaction of late and his overall track record, there’s a good chance it will take him a few rounds to warm up. Makabu’s fights have lasted an average of 4.96 rounds across his career, and we say taking a bet that this will end through Makabu’s gloves in Round 5-8 is a strong wager.
