The WBC put Noel Mikaelian on notice: choose between his September 12 fight with Jai Opetaia or proceed with the previously agreed title defense against David Benavidez.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told BoxingScene’s Lance Pugmire that a formal letter was sent to promoter Don King demanding Mikaelian state his intentions. No firm deadline was attached, but Sulaiman made clear that the cruiserweight champion risks being stripped.
King and Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz reached an agreement for Mikaelian to defend his WBC cruiserweight title against Benavidez in December in Glendale, Arizona. Zuffa Boxing subsequently announced Mikaelian against Opetaia for September 12 in Las Vegas on the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn card.
Mikaelian is already training for Opetaia, Pugmire reports, giving the WBC reason to seek an answer in the coming weeks on which fight he intends to take.
Benavidez may already have an alternate route. He teased an announcement Tuesday, and Pugmire reports his next bout will likely be against WBC interim cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak for the title.
The promotional situation remains unusual. King and Lewkowicz had already struck their agreement when Zuffa announced Mikaelian as Opetaia’s opponent. Mikaelian then began preparing for the September fight despite remaining WBC champion, with Benavidez positioned as his mandatory challenger.
If Mikaelian proceeds with Opetaia, the WBC can remove him and leave Benavidez and Cieslak to fight for the championship. That would give Mikaelian the Zuffa fight he is training for, but without the WBC belt.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/12 at 1:36 PM
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