Swedish boxer Badou Jack is set to make a return to the cruiserweight division after a failed campaign to compete at the bridgerweight category for a world title. As a result of not managing to arrange a match with former WBC bridgerweight champion Lukasz Rozanski, Jack’s career has been in a state of virtual purgatory as he would remain inactive. However, the WBC recently revealed that the former WBC cruiserweight champion might return and use his champion-in-recess status to face incumbent WBC 200 lbs champion Norair Mikaeljan.
As the recent WBC’s press release surrounding the cruiserweight (200 lbs) division stated, Badou Jack had requested to be made the WBC 200 lbs champion-in-recess after attempting to seek a title at bridgerweight to face then-incumbent Polish WBC champion Lukasz Rozanski (15-1, 14 KO’s).
A fight never materialized as Rozanski would go on to face British challenger Lawrence Okolie (20-1, 15 KO’s) and subsequently lose his title to Okolie. Just a couple months later, Okolie would declare his intention to move up to the heavyweight (200+ lbs) division. South African fighter Kevin Lerena (30-3, 14 KO’s) now holds the WBC bridgerweight title after being elevated from interim champion.
Badou Jack will be looking to make a return to the cruiserweight division according to the WBC, which would give him an opportunity to face current WBC 200 lbs champion Norair Mikaeljan (27-2, 12 KO’s). Due to his champion-in-recess1 status, Jack retains the rights to challenge the current champion of the division.
Complicating a potential Mikaeljan-Jack fight is the fact that Mikaeljan is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with his promoter, Don King, and is therefore not expected to be in the ring until his case is resolved.
Jack, 40, previously won the WBC cruiserweight title after defeating Congolese fighter Ilunga Makabu (29-4, 25 KO’s)―who had then held the title―in February of 2023. The win marked Jack as a three-division world champion after previously conquering world titles at light-heavyweight (175 lbs) and super middleweight (168 lbs).
- A titleholder removed as champion due to being unable to defend their belt due to injury, illness, or other reasons. If the original title is vacant, the sanctioning body allows for the champion-in-recess to vie either for the title upon their return. Otherwise, the champion-in-recess must face the current holder of the title. ↩︎
