By: Sean Crose
The 28-3-3 Badou Jack took on the 27-2 Norair Mikaeljan Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. The bout, which was scheduled for twelve, was for WBC cruiserweight supremacy. The first was, if not slow, then a cautious feeling out process between the two fighters. Mikaeljan had a strong going at the end of the second. He went on to be the more aggressive of the two combatants in the third. Still, Jack was able to land well towards the end of the round.
Neither man had particularly fast hands, but by the fourth, it was clear that Mikaeljan had more energy than Jack did. It was costing Jack in the ring. Still, Jack seemed to perform effectively in the fifth. Jack then went on to hurt his man in the sixth. Mikaeljan survived the moment but it was obvious that Jack was far from gassed. The seventh saw Jack cruising along, showing that his 41 years weren’t keeping him from performing well.
Mikaeljan seemed to tell his corner in between rounds that he was tired. If he was drained, it wasn’t overly obvious in the eighth. Mikaeljan landed well on Jack numerous times in the ninth. The tenth was quite close, but Mikaeljan appeared to be the more active fighter. Jack, however, may have been the more active fighter in the eleventh. The twelfth and final round saw Jack fighting well in close. He also tagged Mikaeljan as the bell rang to end the fight.
Suffice to say, the judges awarded Jack a majority decision victory.
