Ilunga Makabu, Canelo Alvarez’s Next Potential Opponent, Vs. Thabiso Mchunu: Odds, Records, And Prediction

The boxing world was thrown into a state of shock in November when Eddy Reynoso, the trainer for Canelo Alvarez, declared that the undisputed super middleweight champion wanted to move up to cruiserweight to challenge Ilunga Makabu for his 200-pound title. Even Alvarez said he didn’t see that coming. On Saturday, Makabu will get the chance to show boxing fans who have a newfound interest in him just what he can do in the ring in preparation for a possible shot at Alvarez. Here’s everything you need to know about Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Don’t know much about Makabu? You’re not alone.

The native of the Congo won his cruiserweight belt in 2020 by beating Michal Cieslak, and he’s defended that title once. He already has a victory vs. Mchunu, knocking him out in the 11^th round in 2015. Mchunu, naturally, believes he’s grown since that bout seven years ago.

“It was a tough fight,” Mchunu told RingTV.com. “Because he was so easy to hit, I went for the KO and made it hard for myself down the stretch. I need to be disciplined throughout. If I use my boxing skills—I know I’m the better boxer which can lead me to victory this time around.”

Makabu, on the other hand, has had to wonder about all the talk that Alvarez is targeting him (and the massive payday that would come from such a meeting). But he insisted that he’s not looking beyond the Mchunu matchup.

“I’m at the top [of my sport] and professional,” Makabu told RingTV.com. “I only focus of what I have in front of me.”

In reality, though, a fight vs. Alvarez seems less and less likely to happen. The latest talk in the sport points to a potential Alvarez bout vs. Jermall Charlo. It also was interesting that Alvarez told World Boxing News last month that he wasn’t even aware Reynoso was going to make a statement about wanting to face Makabu during the sanctioning body’s convention.

“Like I always say, if Eddy says something or he tries to do something crazy, I’m always in. I’m his warrior,” Alvarez said. “He called me after that, and I said, ‘OK, whatever you want.’ I never thought (about cruiserweight). Eddy always is thinking about things, but I never thought about it.”

If Alvarez ends up not being available, perhaps a win by Makabu could get him into potential title unification bouts against Mairis Briedis or Lawrence Okolie, both of which are fights that would get him decent paydays.

Either way, here’s more info on the Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on PPV beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu odds

The oddsmakers have made this close to a 50-50 fight, though Makabu is the slightest of favorites at -135 (bet $135 to win $100). Mchunu, meanwhile, is +105 (win $105 on a $100 wager). The late money seems to have come in on Mchunu, though. Earlier this month, Makabu was -175 and Mchunu was +125. For what it’s worth, I like the betting favorite, but I like him even more to win by KO at +200.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Makabu to beat Mchunu at -135 and Trevor Bryan to beat Jonathan Guidry by KO/TKO at -550. If you bet $100, that two-leg parlay would pay you an additional $105.

Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu records

In the biggest fight of his career, Makabu got stopped in the third round by Tony Bellew in 2016 (even though Makabu had scored a knockdown of Bellew in the first round). But since then, Makabu, who is 28-2 (25 KOs), has been on a roll, winning nine straight fights with seven of those coming by stoppage. In 2014, Makabu also scored a win against a badly faded Glen Johnson, the fighter of the year a decade earlier.

Mchunu’s record of 23-5 (13 KOs) isn’t all that impressive, but he’s on a four-fight winning streak. And he actually has a better resume than Makabu, having faced Oleskandr Usyk (a ninth-round stoppage loss), Eddie Chambers (a unanimous decision victory) and former unified cruiserweight titlist Denis Lebedev (a unanimous decision win).

Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu prediction

Normally, after a fight ends in a stoppage, you have to give the advantage in the rematch to the one who did the knocking out the first time around. In this case, I’ll go with that theory. Makabu has plenty to fight for, and he’s more powerful and probably a little more talented than Mchunu. I’ll say Makabu by stoppage in the eighth round.

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