On January 29 at the Packard Music Hall in Ohio, the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Ilunga Makabu (28-2, 25 KOs) will defend his belt against WBC silver champion Tabiso Mchunu (23-5, 13 KOs).
This will be their second fight. In 2015, Makabu and Mchunu met in the WBC eliminator. Tabiso dominated the first six rounds, but Illunga knocked him out in the eleventh round of an exciting fight. Now the rivals are ready to give the second portion of their confrontation.
At the WBC convention in November, manager Eddie Reynoso received permission from the Board of Governors to seek Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for the fifth division title by taking on Makabu. But before it could even be discussed, Illunga has to fight the number one contender Mchunu.
Tabiso and his team flew to Mexico to get a visa from the US Embassy. They train and put the finishing touches on a lengthy preparation with coach Sean Smith and sparring partner Thulani Mbenge (16-1, 14KOs).
"I feel myself good. I'm ready for this fight and I have to make sure I get the win. I am fighting for the WBC title, and this is the dream of every boxer,” said Mchunu. - When I first fought him, I was young and bold. It was so easy to hit him that I went ahead and got exhausted. Now I am a more mature and smarter boxer. I'm going to do what I do best, which is to chase him and outbox him. I am convinced that we did everything to win."
