Zuffa Boxing confirmed Tuesday that Jai Opetaia will face WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian in the co-main event of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ring Magazine also announced the matchup, while Zuffa’s official release included pointed comments from Opetaia aimed at David Benavidez.
The Australian champion used the announcement to praise Mikaelian for accepting the fight while taking a verbal shot at the WBC’s mandatory challenger.
“This is a huge card, and I look forward to showing the world once again why I’m the best cruiserweight on the planet,” Opetaia said. “Credit to Noel for stepping up to the plate while others, yes, David Benavidez, I’m talking about you, continue to run and hide.”
The remark comes after the WBC ordered Mikaelian to defend his cruiserweight title against Benavidez. The sanctioning body’s Board of Governors approved Benavidez’s petition to compete for the title earlier this year and designated him as the mandatory challenger.
Mikaelian instead accepted a unification bout with Opetaia, placing the WBC in an awkward position. If the organization follows the order it already issued, Mikaelian would be stripped of the championship for bypassing his mandatory defense, leaving the title vacant.
The WBC’s own rules point toward one outcome. Benavidez remains the mandatory challenger, while Michal Cieslak holds the interim title. A fight between those two would determine the next full champion while following the framework the sanctioning body already established.
Opetaia’s comments increase the pressure on the WBC. Its response will determine if its mandatory orders are enforced consistently when a champion accepts a more lucrative fight.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/04 at 4:54 PM
