Tony Bellew’s rival Ilunga Makabu fights in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle II’ with Don King by his side
Friday 31 January 2020 09:23, UK
It might have been easier for Ilunga Makabu to disappear altogether after his highest-profile moment, a crushing knockout defeat to Tony Bellew at Goodison Park in 2016.
That was a fairytale world title victory for Bellew, who had starred in a film then recreated the scene in real-life with Makabu playing a supporting role. By now, the visitor to Liverpool should be long forgotten.
But the man who was dispatched so brutally on Bellew's big night is back and, on Friday night, headlines a fight that is being billed as 'The Rumble in the Jungle II'.
The city of Kinshasa in DR Congo (previously known as Zaire) hosted the original - Muhammad Ali's upset victory over George Foreman in 1974 when he used rope-a-dope tactics to outwit the bigger, stronger man. Forty-five years later 'The Rumble in the Jungle II' pits Makabu, in his home country, against Poland's Michal Cieslak for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title.
Don King, the legendary promoter behind Ali and Foreman's classic, now oversees Makabu's career and has set up the sequel to Kinsasha's most famous fight.
Makabu, the villain in Bellew's Goodison Park dream, poetically has his own moment worthy of being immortalised by cinema.
He arrived on Merseyside with a reputation for being "avoided" and "dangerous" - he was a nightmare combination of a southpaw with a thudding left hand.
Bellew felt his power in the first round of their fight and Goodison Park fell silent as their hero hit the floor. Bellew recovered to turn the tables but it was a small taste that Makabu was always a worthy threat.
And he has fought his way back into contention with seven victories in six different countries after losing to Bellew. He won in Carnival City then Harare, France then Germany.
Suddenly 2019 represented his best-ever year - he twice ventured to Russia to beat the country's own fighters. He knocked out 'The Russian Hammer' Dmitry Kudryashov in a fight so brutal that it catapulted Makabu's name back into the spotlight. He returned to end Aleksei Papin's undefeated record.
He is now aligned to veteran promoter King, 88 years young.
Makabu now has the opportunity to become a ruler in the division left behind by Oleksandr Usyk, who was undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving to heavyweight. Also at cruiserweight, Britain's Lawrence Okolie hopes to face Krzysztof Głowacki for the vacant WBO belt while Mairis Briedis and Yuniel Dorticos will contest the IBF title. Beibut Shumenov has the WBA belt.
Victory over Cieslak would make Makabu a world champion for the first time and would secure him a little piece of history in a city that will always be remembered for the original 'Rumble in the Jungle'.
