Ilunga Makabu & Trevor Bryan Retain World Titles in Don King’s Triumphant Return to Ohio
Proving that you can go home again, Hall of Fame boxing promoter Don King
returned to his native Buckeye state on Saturday night to host an
outstanding slate of championship boxing at the sold-out W.D. Packard Music
Hall in Warren, Ohio.
In the main event battle of southpaw South Africans, WBC Cruiserweight
Champion *Ilunga Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs) *of Johannesburg successfully
defended his title for the second time and earned a shot at four-division
world champion Canelo Alvarez by earning a split-decision over WBC Silver
Cruiserweight titleholder *Thabiso Mchunu* (23-6, 13 KOs) of KwaZulu-Natal.
Judges Steve Weisfeld and Jamie Garayua scored the closely contested bout
115-113 and 116-112 respectively for Makabu, while Nathan Palmer saw it
115-113 for Mchunu.
“Today I didn’t come for the knockout,” said Makabu, who won the vacant WBC
belt by registering a unanimous decision over Michal Cieslak almost exactly
two years ago on Jan. 31, 2020. “I just came to show that I can box. I am
going to box and knock Canelo out in my next fight, baby.”
In his United States debut, the 34-year-old Makabu pressed the action
against his compatriot and successfully followed his team’s game plan from
the opening bell to run his unbeaten streak to 10.
“We were leading the fight comfortably,” said Makubu’s trainer, Damien
Durandt. “Junior (Makabu) boxed beautifully. We knew what Mchunu was about.
He brought in some elements that surprised us. I told Junior not to look
for the knockout. If it comes, we will take it. All I wanted from round one
was points. He said to me, ‘I got you baby.’ “
Mchunu, who captured the WBC Silver title with a unanimous decision over
Denis Lebedev on Dec. 21, 2019, saw his four-bout winning streak come to a
disappointing end despite effectively counterpunching across 12 rounds.
“I landed a lot of my punches, but the judges saw it the other way, said
the 33-year-old who fought in the U.S. for the sixth time. “He (Makabu)
didn’t really hurt me.”
Despite residing less than 300 miles away from each other, the two evenly
matched South African cruiserweight champions traveled more than 8,000
miles to Warren, Ohio, to headline Don King’s return to his home state. In
addition to living in the same country, Makabu and Mchunu are only one year
apart in age, both fight as southpaws, are only one inch apart in height.
In the co-featured main event pitting undefeated 32-year-old heavyweights,
Floridian *Trevor Bryan *(22-0, 15 KOs) utilized 20-lb. weight and
five-inch height advantages to narrowly defend his WBA crown for the
initial time in a split-decision triumph over WBA No.13-ranked
contender *Jonathan
Guidry* (17-1-2, 10 KOs), of Dulac, La.
Judges Nathan Palmer and Brian Kennedy saw the action-packed fight 118-109
and 116-111 respectively for Bryan, while Steve Weisfeld scored it 115-112
for Guidry.
A confident Bryan, who captured the vacant WBA Heavyweight title by
flooring Bermane Stiverne twice before referee Frank Gentile stopped the
contest at 1:26 of the 11th round exactly one year ago on Jan. 29, 2021,
looked to the future while praising his game opponent.
“Trevor Bryan is here to stay, said the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident. “I
showed that tonight. I am only going to get better and keep improving my
skills. I worked until the final bell. I am taking my talents overseas. I
am going to make those fights against the top three, which is Tyson Fury,
Anthony Joshua, and Oleksandr Usyk. I deserve those fights. This is a
steppingstone for me. Shout out to Jonathan Guidry. He was a tough
opponent.”
Despite suffering his first pro defeat, Guidry, who is a crabber back in
his native Louisiana, earned the crowd’s respect by standing toe-to-toe
with the taller champion, overcoming a swollen right eye, effectively
landing jabs from in close, and never becoming rattled despite the obvious
height and weight advantage of his counterpart.
“It was a close fight,” said Guidry after the decision was announced. “We
only trained for four weeks for this fight. I want another shot at it. If I
get in a little bit better shape, I’ll put on a better show. It was
heartbreaking. If I had a little bit more gas in the tank, I could have
gotten him (Bryan).”
With Bryan aiming to end the bout and not leave the outcome in the judges’
hands, the champion sent a wobbly, but resilient Guidry to the canvas for
the fight’s lone knockdown as the final bell sounded to end the
unforgettable night of boxing.
“The last round he caught me in my neck,” Guidry recalled. “I feel really
good. I wasn’t supposed to make it this far.”
As the final seconds ticked off, announcer and International Boxing Hall of
Famer *Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini *echoed many in the crowd and viewers at
home by encouraging Guidry to “stay on your feet” and to “get up, get up”
following the knockdown.
Following the co-main event, the world’s greatest boxing promoter reflected
on the heavyweight showdown and entire night at the W.D. Packard Music Hall.
“That was a fantastic fight,” King opined. “Jonathan Guidry put on a
tremendous fight, and the heavyweight champion got out by the skin of his
teeth. I don’t know why Trevor (Bryan) wasn’t throwing his right hand as
much as he could have. The whole card has been spectacular. I am just as
proud as I can be.”
In the final title bout prior to the two world-championship co features,
southpaw *Johnnie Langston (10-3, 4 KOs, 1 NC*), of Sarasota, Fla., earned
the NABA cruiserweight belt by thoroughly dominating *Nick Kisner (22-6-1),
6 KOs),* of Baltimore, Md., en route to a fifth-round TKO. Unfazed by his
counterpart’s decision to alternate as both a righty and lefty, the
fighting Floridian recorded his first knockdown when a flurry of unanswered
punches sent Kisner to one knee at 29 seconds of the fifth round. With the
battling Baltimorean’s gloves up and displaying no signs of fighting back,
Langston forced his opponent to one knee for a second time less than 30
seconds later. After Kisner nearly went down again and somehow remained
upright despite wobbly legs, the 32-year-old Langston rushed forward and
unleashed yet another barrage of unanswered punches before referee George
Nichols stopped the bout at 1:40 of the fifth round.
“I knew that Kisner was slick, Langston said in the ring after. “I just put
the punches together and started landing. When he (Kisner) switched back
and forth and went southpaw, I landed the overhand left and followed it up
with the right uppercut.”
Utilizing a 60-pound weight advantage, *DaCarree Scott* (7-0, 6 KOs), of
Decatur, GA., captured the vacant NABA Gold Heavyweight title by
registering a 10-round split decision over *Ahmed Hefny* (13-2, 5 KOs), of
Alexandria, Egypt, via Queens, N.Y. Judge Brian Kennedy scored the bout
96-94 for Hefny, while Jamie Garayua and Nathan Palmer had it 96-94 and
97-93 respectively for Scott. Despite fighting three more rounds than he
had in his six other pro fights combined and watching his six-bout knockout
streak come to an end, the 23-year-old Scott pressed the action, working on
the inside, landing body punches and brutal blows to his opponent’s head.
Despite suffering a bad cut to his left eye due to an accidental headbutt
early in the fourth and dealing with constant blood flow throughout the
final six rounds, Hefny utilized an orthodox fighting style to rally and
momentarily stun Scott with seconds to go in the eighth.
“I knew I could go 10 rounds,” Scott said. “It wasn’t a problem. The cut
was a punch. He (Hefny) was missing punches, holding, and grabbing. I
worked so hard. I deserve this title.”
Opening the six-championship fight card, southpaw Newburg, N.Y. native
*Tre’Sean
Wiggins* (13-5-3, 7 KOs) secured the vacant NABA welterweight title by
scoring a third-round TKO over *Cody Wilson* (10-4, 7 KOs). Controlling the
action from the opening bell, Wiggins recorded a knockdown with 10 seconds
remaining in the second round by landing a flurry of punishing left hands
to the head that sent his counterpart flailing against the ropes. After
Wilson survived the round, Wiggins sent the Fairmont, W. Va., resident to
the canvas with a devastating straight left hand at 1:41 of the third.
Eight seconds later, referee Lonnie Scott stepped in and stopped the
contest at 1:33.
“Everything went right,” Wiggins said. “I am the man in charge right now.
This is only the beginning. I knocked the door down, now I am running
through.”
In the walkout bout following the main event, *Michael Moore* (19-3, 8 KOs)
of Cleveland, pitched a near shutout over *Anthony Lenk* (17-8, 7 KOs) of
Niagara Falls, N.Y., earning a 10-round unanimous decision. The three
judges all scored the bout 99-91. The NABA middleweight title was on the
line for Lenk only, as Moore weighed in over the 160-lb. limit and was not
eligible to win the vacant crown.
Veteran boxing announcer and Florida Boxing Hall of Famer *Bob Alexander*,
as well as former WBA lightweight champion Mancini called the action for
the pay-per-view broadcast.
