Fresh off of his majority decision against James DeGale, Badou Jack has gone through with his stated desire to move up in weight, relinquishing his WBC super middleweight title and moving to light heavyweight. He leaves behind mandatory challenger Callum Smith, who will presumably face former champion and current WBC #2 Anthony Dirrell for the vacant strap.
Just two fights removed from a first-round knockout loss to Derek Edwards, Jack (20-1-3, 12 KO) overcame more than 4-1 odds to lift the title from Dirrell in 2010. He successfully defended it with another upset, a split decision over George Groves, and was then shafted by the judges in a draw with Lucian Bute.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Jack, now 33, fits into the top-heavy 175-pound ranks; he’s definitely got the skills to be competitive and hits hard enough to rearrange DeGale’s face. Nathan Cleverly is an ideal target should he make a bid for a quick title shot, as he’d have to wait for Adonis Stevenson and Eleider Alvarez to finish their will-he-won’t-he dance if he stuck with the WBC.