Badou Jack facts for kids

Badou Jack (born October 31, 1983) is a professional boxer from Sweden. He is super special because he has won world boxing titles in three different weight classes! This means he was a champion in the super-middleweight, light-heavyweight, and cruiserweight divisions. Before becoming a pro, he was an amateur boxer and even represented The Gambia at the 2008 Olympics.

Badou Jack's Boxing Journey

Starting as an Amateur Boxer

Badou Jack began his amateur boxing journey in 2001 when he was 18 years old. He had an amazing record of 150 wins and only 25 losses! He was a national champion in Sweden for five years in a row, from 2004 to 2008. He won four times in the middleweight division and once in the light-heavyweight division.

In 2007, the Swedish Boxing Federation named him the "Boxer of the Year." In his last national championship in 2008, he beat another rising star, Erik Skoglund. Badou first boxed for Sweden, then switched to represent The Gambia, which is where his father is from.

He qualified for the 2008 Olympics in the middleweight division while representing Gambia. He was even the flag bearer for his country at the opening ceremony! He lost in the first round to Vijender Singh from India.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Badou Jack started his professional boxing career in Sweden on June 6, 2009. He won his first fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed he won. His next four fights were in Sweden and Finland, and he won all of them by knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO). Two of these wins were in the very first round!

Moving to the United States

In 2009, Badou met former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs at a boxing event in Sweden. Badou later moved to the United States in 2010 to train with Briggs. In 2011, he signed with Lou DiBella and Warrior Boxing Promotions, bringing his perfect 5-0 record to the U.S.

In 2011 and 2012, Badou fought and won six more times. Four of these wins were by TKO and two by decision. One of his biggest wins was against Alexander Brand, who was also undefeated with a 17-0 record. Badou won that fight by a split decision.

Joining Mayweather Promotions

After building his record to 11-0, Badou Jack caught the eye of boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather was very impressed with Badou during a sparring session and quickly signed him to Mayweather Promotions.

On February 2, 2013, Badou won a fight by knockout in the first round. Three weeks later, he won another fight by unanimous decision. On May 4, 2013, he won by TKO with a body shot in the third round. He continued his winning streak by defeating Farah Ennis by unanimous decision on July 19, 2013.

His first title fight was on September 12, 2013, when he challenged Marco Antonio Periban for the NABF super-middleweight championship. The fight ended in a majority draw, meaning most judges scored it as a tie. In his next fight, he won by TKO after knocking down Rogelio Medina three times in the sixth round.

However, on February 28, 2014, Badou Jack faced his first professional loss. He was stopped by TKO in the first round by Derek Edwards. Edwards knocked him down twice. This was a big upset in the boxing world.

Badou quickly bounced back with a win on August 30, 2014, against Jason Escalera in Las Vegas. He won by unanimous decision. His next fight was on December 12, 2014, against Francisco Sierra. Badou dominated the fight and won by TKO in the sixth round.

Becoming a World Champion

Winning the WBC Super-Middleweight Title

On April 24, 2015, Badou Jack challenged undefeated Anthony Dirrell for the WBC super-middleweight championship. Many people thought Badou had little chance to win. But Badou surprised everyone by defeating Dirrell by a majority decision! He took more control of the fight as it went on. After the fight, Badou said, "I was in great shape and I believed in myself. Now, I'm a world champ."

First Title Defense Against George Groves

Badou Jack's first title defense was against George Groves on September 12, 2015. Badou was once again seen as the underdog, but he proved everyone wrong again! He knocked Groves down in the first round and stayed in control of the fight, using strong body punches. He won by a split decision. Groves felt he had done enough to win, but Badou kept his title.

Defending Against Lucian Bute

Badou was set to defend his title against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on April 30, 2016, but Chavez Jr. got injured. Lucian Bute stepped in to fight instead. The fight was declared a majority draw, so Badou kept his title. However, later it was found that Bute had tested positive for a banned substance. Because of this, the fight outcome was changed to a disqualification win for Badou Jack.

Unification Fight Against James DeGale

On January 14, 2017, Badou Jack had a big unification fight against IBF world champion James DeGale. This fight was also for the vacant Ring magazine title. The fight was very close and ended in a majority draw. Both fighters were knocked down during the fight. Badou's promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., felt Badou had done enough to win. After the fight, Badou said he had become too big for super-middleweight and wanted to move up a weight class.

Moving Up to Light-Heavyweight

On January 18, 2017, Badou Jack officially gave up his WBC super-middleweight belt to move up to the light-heavyweight division.

Winning the WBA Light-Heavyweight Title

On August 26, 2017, Badou Jack fought Nathan Cleverly for the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title. This fight was on the undercard of the huge Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor event. Badou won the WBA title in his light-heavyweight debut by stopping Cleverly in the fifth round. Badou put a lot of pressure on Cleverly, who ended up with a bloody nose. The referee stopped the fight as Badou was hitting Cleverly with many punches. Badou said, "You can’t leave it in the hands of the judges. You have to go for the kill." The next day, Cleverly announced he was retiring from boxing.

Challenging Adonis Stevenson

After beating Cleverly, Badou Jack wanted to fight Adonis Stevenson, who held the WBC and lineal light-heavyweight titles. On May 19, 2018, Stevenson and Jack fought to a majority draw in a very competitive match. One judge scored the fight for Jack, while the other two scored it as a draw. Stevenson started strong, but Jack became more active and accurate in the later rounds. With the draw, Stevenson kept his titles.

Fight Against Marcus Browne

In November 2018, Badou Jack said he would return to the ring in early 2019. He ended up fighting Marcus Browne on January 19, 2019, for the vacant WBA interim and WBC Silver light-heavyweight titles. Browne used his youth, speed, and power to win a one-sided unanimous decision over Jack. Badou suffered a bad cut on his forehead in the seventh round after an accidental clash of heads.

Rematch with Jean Pascal

Badou Jack then had another world title fight on December 28, 2019, against champion Jean Pascal for the WBA (Regular) and WBC Silver light-heavyweight titles. It was a close and tough fight. Pascal started better and even knocked Badou down in the fourth round. But Badou fought his way back into the fight, using his jab and body punches. In the final round, Badou knocked Pascal down! Even with his strong finish, Badou lost by a split decision, which many people found controversial. Because it was so close, there were talks about an immediate rematch.

Fighting Blake McKernan

While a rematch with Pascal was being discussed, Badou Jack fought Blake McKernan on November 28, 2020. This fight was on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event. McKernan usually fought at cruiserweight, so Badou moved up to that weight class for this fight. Badou said he might even stay at cruiserweight in the future. He also announced that he would donate all his earnings from this fight to charity through the Badou Jack Foundation. Badou had a very strong performance, winning the eight-round fight by a clear unanimous decision.

New Opponent: Dervin Colina

Badou and Jean Pascal were supposed to have their rematch on June 6, 2021. But the rematch was canceled because Pascal failed drug tests. On June 1, 2021, Dervin Colina was announced as Badou's new opponent on short notice. Badou showed his skill quickly. Colina was deducted points for holding too much. Badou knocked Colina down three times in the fourth round, and the referee stopped the fight, giving Badou a technical knockout win.

Another Cruiserweight Win Against Samuel Crossed

Badou Jack faced Samuel Crossed on November 26, 2021, in Dubai. Badou was a big favorite to win. He won his second cruiserweight fight by knockout in the second round. The referee stopped the fight after Crossed was knocked down for the third time in the round.

Quick Victory Over Hany Atiyo

Badou was scheduled to fight Hany Atiyo on May 14, 2022, but the event was postponed. They fought on May 21, 2022. Badou was the favorite and knocked Atiyo out in the first minute of the fight!

Winning Against Richard Rivera

Badou then fought unbeaten Richard Rivera on August 20, 2022. He won the fight by a split decision.

WBC Cruiserweight Champion

Badou Jack then challenged Ilunga Makabu for the WBC cruiserweight title on February 26, 2023. He won the title by technical knockout in the twelfth round. This made him a three-division world champion!

Badou Jack's Life Outside the Ring

Badou Jack's father is from The Gambia, and his mother is Swedish. He was raised in the Islamic faith and still follows it today. Badou now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Badou is good friends with the Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman. He has even helped Kinnaman get in shape for his movie roles, like in Robocop and Suicide Squad.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Badou Jack para niños

• List of world super-middleweight boxing champions
• List of world light-heavyweight boxing champions
• List of world cruiserweight boxing champions
• List of boxing triple champions