REVENGE AND REIGN: MIKAELIAN MASTERCLASS UNSEATS JACK FOR WBC CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
Noel Mikaelian corrected a "debatable" first fight by using his smart jab and combinations to defeat Badou Jack via a clear unanimous decision for the WBC title.
Noel Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) has finally grabbed that world title he's been chasing for a year, beating Badou Jack (29-4-3, 17 KOs) by unanimous decision. The win at CMH 2: Rematch Season secures him the WBC Cruiserweight World Championship for the second time.
After a tight, debated first fight, Mikaelian came to Los Angeles ready to leave no room for doubt. He used his jab, constant combinations, and smarts in the ring to control the fight from start to finish.
“We fixed it. This time, I got my hand raised,” Mikaelian said, celebrating in front of his fans.
“It felt like home having so many fans here. I'm happy to show how important mental health is—it means a lot because of what I've been through.”
Jack, a two-time world champ, came with his usual aggression but couldn't get his game going. “He gets dirty. He was pushing with his head, and the ref didn’t say anything. He was also holding my hand. I had to change my plan. I don't get angry in the ring, but you have to let loose sometimes,” Mikaelian explained.
Looking back, Jack gave props to the new champ. “This wasn’t my best night, but no excuses. He was better tonight, dirty tricks or not. I thought I had a great training camp; he did too. I don’t need to prove anything. I’ve done it all. I love to fight, so we’ll see what happens.”
With this win, Mikaelian not only got the world title but also set himself up for a possible fight with David Benavidez, but only if Benavidez beats Gilberto Ramirez on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Fight Highlights – Main Event
From the start, Mikaelian’s jab set the tone, keeping Jack away and landing good counters. For the first three rounds, Mikaelian was in charge, setting the pace and making Jack defend.
Around the middle of the fight, Jack tried to put on the pressure, working inside and forcing them to hold each other. But Mikaelian’s quick counters and footwork stopped Jack from gaining any ground.
In the later rounds, Mikaelian stayed calm and in control. He threw more punches, landing clean combinations and taking advantage of openings when Jack got too aggressive. These attacks showed Mikaelian’s control and how he planned the fight. When it was over, the judges' scores showed a clear win for Mikaelian: 116-110, 116-110, 115-111.
Rising Stars Shine on the Undercard
Jonny Mansour (6-0, 2 KOs) honoured his mother, who passed away, with a solid unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Jaurez (12-10-3, 5 KOs).
“We aren’t promised tomorrow. "Everyone wants money and success, but you will be remembered for how you loved your family," Mansour said.
Robert Daniels Jr. (9-2, 8 KOs) is back with a first-round knockout of Tristan Hamm (1-3, 1 KO), making it eight KOs in a row and showing his power at cruiserweight.
Brook Sibrian (9-2, 4 KOs) won the vacant WBC International Light Flyweight Championship, beating Gloria Munguilla (8-3) by majority decision, turning around last year’s loss.
“It all started when I lost to her earlier this year. It’s been a great ride, and I’m happy to end the year on a high note,” Sibrian said.
Julius Ballo (2-0), moving up two weight classes, scored a knockdown in the fourth round and took a unanimous decision over Juan Centeno (10-25-4, 2 KOs), showing he’s more experienced than he is.
Other fighters who won on the undercard include Devi Davitan, Samvel Gandillian, Angel Lozano, Isaac Anguiano, and Sergio Herrera, who gave Jose Vargas Quintana his first loss, proving that CMH 2 brings together top talent and up-and-coming fighters.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
