Mchunu loses to Makabu on a controversial split decision

Junior Makabu won a controversial split decision over Thabiso Mchunu in the US on Saturday night to retain his WBC cruiserweight crown and stay in line for a possible big-money fight against Canelo Alvarez.

Makabu, a Johannesburg-based Congolese, improved to 29 wins and two losses while Mchunu, who also trains in Johannesburg, dropped to 23-6.

Two judges scored it for Makabu, 34, by margins of 115-113 and 116-112 after 12 rounds, while the third had it for the 33-year-old South African 115-113. The three officials were American.

But Mchunu and many SA fans will legitimately feel they were robbed in this all-southpaw clash of contrasting styles in Warren, Ohio, but perhaps the challenger should have done just a little more eliminate any doubt.

Makabu pressed the action, but counterpunching Mchunu landed the sharper shots, and though they weren’t in abundance, they surely contributed to Makabu looking tired and sluggish. He even stumbled backwards when Mchunu caught him late in the bout, betrayed by his legs.

Mchunu, seeking revenge after losing their 2015 fight on an 11th round stoppage while ahead on the scorecards, finished the stronger of the two.

His blood was still up at the final bell, pushing away his opponent when he came in for a post-fight hug. It was a left-over from the weigh-in, where the champion told him brashly that he would knock him out. Mchunu looked as if he already knew he’d get stiffed on the cards.

But he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Mchunu was fighting in the backyard of the champion’s promoter, one of boxing’s most controversial figures of all time, Don King, who at 90 is a little stooped in posture but still full of swagger.

He still stood in the ring wearing his trademark smile and denim jacket, all while waving US and DRC flags. He wasn’t holding an SA flag to represent Mchunu, who is promoted by Russia-based RCC.

The money King is set to earn from Makabu if the fight against Canelo, the world's pound-for-pound best, comes off would have fuelled 90% of his broad smile that brightened the small Packard music hall.

Mchunu would probably have got a fairer shake in Kinshasa; he needed to score at least a knockdown or two to divert the mighty river flow of cash stemming from Canelo’s decision last year to step up to cruiserweight and take on Makabu.

This defence against Mchunu popped up almost like an unwanted mosquito in the middle of the night.

And this type of robbery can happen legally, without a cent having to change hands. There is a subconscious bias towards the house fighter, especially when it’s the house of King, which is where Evander Holyfield was gifted an undeserved draw against Lennox Lewis in 1999.

As unfair as the result was, Mchunu has joined the graveyard of failed WBC title challenges by South African boxers.

Sugar Boy Malinga and Dingaan Thobela remain the only two to have succeeded — both at super-middleweight. Mchunu became the 17th casualty, joining the likes of Pierre Fourie, Willie Ludick, Frans Botha, Corrie Sanders, Phillip Ndou, Simphiwe Vetyeka and even Thobela when he tried to regain the belt. The success rate is 16%.

The other three sanctioning bodies have been easier for SA boxers, with a 39% strike rate in the IBF (25 wins out of 64 shots), 29% in the WBA (9 from 31) and 27% for the WBO (6 from 22).

Even the statistics were against Mchunu, who might have been capable of beating Makabu and history. He just couldn’t beat Don King.