Swedish WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack and Armenian contender Norair Mikaeljan are set to compete in their second bout this year after the two parties reached an agreement for a rematch. The two fighters faced each other earlier this year in a close fight that ended in a controversial majority decision win for Jack, giving grounds for Mikaeljan’s promoter Don King to launch an appeal that eventually led to the WBC ordering the rematch.
A purse bid ceremony had been planned for today [July 16] after Badou Jack (29-3-3, 17 KO’s) and Norair Mikaeljan (27-3, 12 KO’s) initially failed to reach an agreement for their WBC-ordered bout, though this has now been cancelled according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman after he confirmed the two parties had managed to strike a deal.
Given their first fight had taken place on the now-infamous Riyadh Season-hosted May 3rd card, the sudden agreement could have been facilitated through General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki Alalshikh who might be planning to feature the rematch on another Riyadh Season or The Ring card.
The upcoming September 12th card featuring Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO’s) and Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KO’s) as the headliners could host the now-confirmed cruiserweight (200 lbs) rematch between Jack and Mikaeljan. The first bout saw Badou Jack retain his WBC title through a majority decision (MD) victory over Norair Mikaeljan after returning to the ring following a one-year stint of inactivity.
Interestingly, the rematch was initiated by longstanding promoter Don King, founder of US-based boxing promotion Don King Productions, who was reportedly in a legal dispute with Mikaeljan that led to the cancellation of a planned bout with Canadian contender Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KO’s).
Though the exact basis for the legal dispute was never substantiated upon, it appears to have been resolved with Norair Mikaeljan having been granted a second opportunity against WBC champion Badou Jack. The first bout between the two fighters saw Mikaeljan step in as a substitute opponent after Jack’s original opponent, Rozicki, had to withdraw due to injury.
Jack’s win was not without controversy due to the discrepancy in punch stats which favored a win for Mikaeljan, eventually leading to Don King’s appeal.
Notably, the rematch prevents WBC interim cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO’s) from getting a deserved crack at the world title after he won the interim belt in a 4th-round stoppage win over Canadian veteran Jean Pascal on June 28th.
