The fight lived in the clinch. Arms tangled. Heads pressed together. Referee Jerry Cantu, working his last fight before retirement, spent the night barking warnings and pulling points. Mikaelian got clipped for rabbit punching. Jack got stung for hitting on the break. Clean punches were rare enough to count on one hand.
Why Mikaelian Won Without Looking Good
But here’s the difference from Riyadh. When the late rounds came, Mikaelian still had something in the tank. Jack didn’t.
This wasn’t skill for skill. It was timing and legs.
Jack, now 42, looked every bit his age once the pace slowed. He tried to smother exchanges, lean his weight, shorten the fight. That used to work. Against Mikaelian, it just stalled him.
Mikaelian stayed busier in the back half. Nothing flashy. Just enough jabs, enough short hooks, enough moments to convince judges he was the one pressing forward. In May, Jack nicked the last two rounds and stole the fight. This time, Mikaelian shut the door himself.
That’s growth, even if it came wrapped in a scrappy, hard-to-watch package.
Afterward, Jack didn’t complain. No politics. No belt talk. Just honesty. He admitted Mikaelian was better on the night and hinted this might be the end. “It’s not easy to perform at this age. I had a good career.” That sounded like a man already halfway out the gym.
The Cruiserweight Belt Is a Problem Again
Here’s the uncomfortable bit. Mikaelian as champion doesn’t excite promoters, but he’s a headache for fighters.
He’s tough. He’s awkward. He’ll lean, grab, spoil rhythm, and make you earn every second. That makes him a nightmare fight for slick operators and aging names alike. The belt is back in his hands, and suddenly everyone’s looking for easier routes.
If Jack does walk away, it leaves a vacuum of recognisable names at cruiserweight. Mikaelian doesn’t sell tickets, but he holds leverage. Anyone who wants that WBC strap will have to go through him, and it won’t be pretty.
That matters.
On the undercard, Jonny Mansour blanked Marco Antonio Juarez across six rounds with disciplined boxing and steady movement, later dedicating the win to his late mother.
