Olanrewaju Durodola. PHOTO: YOUTUBE
African knockout artists, Ilunga Makabu and Olanrewaju Durodola are scheduled to enter the ring in a cruiserweight title contest on December 6 in Dubai.
The two are ranked #6 and #8 respectively by the WBC and will be fighting for the “Silver” belt, which means the winner will presumably be in line to fight whoever winds up with the main title at the end of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS).
Makabu (21-2, 20 KO) leveled Thabiso Mchunu to become the mandatory challenger for Grigory Drozd’s WBC title, only to fight Tony Bellew instead when persistent injuries kept Drozd on the sideline. He dropped “Bomber” in the first round, but succumbed to a barrage of punches in the third.
Durodola (27-4, 25 KO) scored one of 2015’s most impressive upsets when he beat down Dmitry Kudryashov in the second round. He had considerably less success against Mairis Briedis in a title eliminator and, after some get-well fights, came up short in a grueling rematch with Kudryashov last June.
Both Makabu and Durodola have won two tune ups by knockout since their most recent defeats.
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Speaking about the event, Makabu’s manager, Tarik Saadi exclusively told World Boxing News: “We need to see who is the best cruiserweight in Africa.
“We are happy about this fight as it has been sanctioned for the WBC silver cruiserweight belt at Meydan in Dubaï on December 6th. This show is promoted by Kalakoda Promotions and will go out live on Kwesse Sports.
“Junior is going to take this title and prove he is one of the best cruiserweights in a world.
He will not leave his place at the top this time and he will never make any more errors.
“I thank WBN for your excellent work and all the fans of Makabu in the world who support our team.
“I promise you Makabu will be a world champion in 2018,” he added.
Makabu and Durodola have suffered recent setbacks in their quest to claim a world title as the pair lost out to in stoppages to Tony Bellew and Dmitry Kudryashov respectively.
Bellew defeated Makabu, 29, in May 2016 for the WBC cruiserweight championship but since then the Congan has recorded two knockout victories.
Likewise for 37 year-old veteran Durodola, who was halted by the Russian last June, before making a successful comeback.
The winner will be in line for a shot at the eventual Muhammad Ali Trophy winner through the ongoing World Boxing Super Series tournament.
Source: G Sport
