The 42 years of Badou Jack, the Swedish boxer who has been among the world’s elite for many years, clearly highlight the difficult moment being experienced by the cruiserweight division—a weight class lacking standout figures and a true generational turnover. The only fighter of unquestionable elite level, Jai Opetaia, struggles to find worthy opponents, while Zurdo Ramirez currently seems unwilling to face him. On the horizon looms the figure of David Benavidez, who would certainly add intrigue, albeit at the expense of the light heavyweight division, where “Bandera Roja” is waiting for decisions from the two dominant forces of the class, Beterbiev and Bivol.
Thus, Jack (29-3-3, 17 KOs), the reigning WBC world champion—having won the title in 2023 at the expense of Ilunga Makabu—found himself once again defending his belt, this time against the challenge of Armenian boxer Noel Mikaeljan (27-3-0, 12 KOs).
The bout was a rematch that carried the flavor of a reckoning. Jack and Mikaeljan had already faced each other in May 2025, with the Swede emerging victorious by majority decision. However, that verdict sparked considerable controversy: many observers felt Mikaeljan had done enough to win, despite a fight that was far from thrilling and largely devoid of truly dramatic moments.
Mikaeljan is a technically sound boxer, not blessed with knockout power, but capable of earning respect thanks to his long reach and solid durability—so much so that he has never been stopped. Badou Jack, on the other hand, has been a fixture at the top level for years. Now a full-fledged cruiserweight, he boasts an important past at super middleweight and light heavyweight, having fought for and won titles in every division in which he competed.
At Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles, the two produced a gritty and tense contest, marked by Mikaeljan’s clear and growing dominance in the second half of the fight. After twelve rounds, Mikaeljan was declared the winner by unanimous decision, with scorecards reading 115-111, 116-110, and 116-110. He thus became WBC cruiserweight world champion for the second time.
It was a demanding fight in which Badou Jack’s age played a crucial role, making the superior freshness of the 35-year-old Armenian plainly evident.
Both boxers started cautiously. In the early stages, Jack appeared to have the edge thanks to a solid jab and right hand, both to the head and body. Mikaeljan opted to move along the ropes initially, conceding center ring to the reigning champion.
The tension in the ring was evident, given the stakes and the controversial outcome of their first encounter.
That tension surfaced as early as the end of the second round, when—after a sharp right hand from Mikaeljan—Jack fired back with a right well after the bell had sounded.
At the halfway point, the fight intensified further, with both men increasing their punch output at close range.
At the end of the seventh round, after several warnings, Mikaeljan was docked a point for hitting Jack on the back of the head. In the eighth, tempers flared even more: first Jack was penalized a point for a foul, then the two continued to punch after the bell, leading to chaos in the ring, with the corners stepping in to separate the fighters and officials struggling to restore order.
From the ninth round onward, the Armenian took full control, clearly fresher than his opponent. Mikaeljan began to press the action, working effectively to the body and draining the last reserves of energy from the aging champion. His right hand found the target with increasing frequency, and even at close range Mikaeljan seemed to have the upper hand, aided by Jack’s noticeable drop in work rate. When the final bell sounded, the verdict confirmed Mikaeljan’s unanimous decision victory.
During the post-fight interviews, a visibly disappointed Jack responded as follows when asked about a potential rematch to complete the trilogy:
“I don’t feel great. We’ll see. I had a great career, but we’ll see what’s next.”