“Overjoyed” Noel Mikaelian
Germany’s forgotten boxer is making history
By Martin Armbruster
November 5, 2023, 8:11 a.m
It is impressive proof of his class: Noel Mikaelian is crowned boxing world champion. He is the first German since Max Schmeling to achieve this in the USA against Ilunga Makabu – a piece of boxing history.
Noel Mikaelian made boxing history, becoming the first German since Max Schmeling to be crowned world champion in the USA more than 90 years ago. In Miami, the 33-year-old defeated his competitor Ilunga Makabu from Congo by technical knockout in the third round and won the vacant WBC cruiserweight title. “I am overjoyed to finally have this green-gold WBC belt, the most prestigious, that has always been my dream,” said Mikaelian to sport.de/ntv.de after his World Cup triumph. “I didn’t think it would end so quickly. But I caught him well and then went after him to close the thing.”
After an uneventful opening round that was characterized by groping, Mikaelian took command in the second round, sending the former world champion from the Congo into the ring dust with two straight right hands. Makabu got back on his feet and escaped during the break – shortly afterwards it was over.
In the third round, Mikaelian caught the southpaw with a combination of six punches: Makabu went to the boards again, and referee Gene Del Bianco then stopped the fight. For Mikaelian it was the 27th victory in the 29th professional fight, the twelfth by knockout, only in his previous big fights had he always come away empty-handed. In 2018, Mikaelian lost on points in the quarterfinals of the “World Boxing Super Series” against the eventual tournament winner and IBF champion Mairis Briedis in a highly controversial manner. In 2017, he lost to Poland’s Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in a similarly controversial World Cup elimination fight.
Victory brings Mikaelin further important fights
The WBC title in the 90.72 kilogram weight class was vacant because world champion Badou Jack resigned the title after his victory over Makabu in February. Mikaelian came in as number one in the WBC rankings. With his victory over Makabu (WBC champion from 2020 to 2023), Mikaelian has put himself in position for further attractive fights in the cruiserweight division. With Arsen Goulamirian (WBA), Jai Opetaia (IBF) and Chris Billam-Smith (WBO), there are three rivals for the undisputed crown in the major associations.
Mikaelian is the first German since boxing icon Max Schmeling (1930) to win a world championship fight in the USA. The new world champion has lived in Miami since 2019 and competed in the world championship fight under the Armenian flag. Mikaelian was born in Yerevan in 1990 and grew up in Berlin and Hamburg. He has been a prizefighter since 2011.