WBC ranked number one Cruiserweight Illunga 'Junior' Makabu made a surprise appearance at MG

Makabu has begun preparations for his proposed WBC World title showdown with Grigory Drozd. Makubu looked in marvelous condition as the big punching native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo displayed his class to those watching against three highly rated sparring partners, one being Scotland's Stephen Simmons who fights on the 28th of January on the MGM Promotions Scotland's at Glasgow's Crowne Plaza hotel.

The South African based Makabu has picked up 19 wins with 18 knockouts in 20 fights with his only loss coming on his pro debut. He also became the only man aside from Bernard Hopkins to stop Glen Johnson. 'Junior' has set his sights on dethroning Drozd and then taking on the rest of the world,

"I will become WBC Champions then I want to fight for the WBA, WBO and IBF titles. I am the best Cruiserweight in the world".

Joining Makabu in the gym was MGM Manchester's Liam Conroy who sparred MGM Scotland's Marc Kerr and Gary Murray, in what was competitive sparring throughout. From a personal standpoint it was good to see members from two of the MGM branches under one roof, helping each other out in aid of the same cause - winning. Conroy has an upcoming British Challenge title fight on February 20th at Preston's Guild Hall and Marc Kerr and Gary Murray fight on MGM Promotions Scotland's shows on 28th January in Glasgow and 27th February at Glasgow's Belllahouston Sports Centre.

Conroy who fractured his hand in his last outing against Elvis Dube was sparring for the first time since and seemed happy with how training camp is going,

"This was my first hard spar back since I broke my hand against Dube. I feel like I am at a good starting point in camp. Camp has started better for this fight than my previous two fights. I'm confident all will fall into place come on the 20th February at Preston's Guild Hall".

An announcement is set to be made shortly on Illunga 'Junior' Makabu's prospective World title showdown with Grigory Drozd will be made shortly. Tickets are now available for both MGM Manchester's 20th February show in Preston and MGM Scotland's28th of January and 27th of February shows. Both will showcase all the emerging and established talent from both setups including the likes of Malcolm Klassen and Stephen Simmons.