David Benavidez-Noel Mikaelian fight expected to be signed by week's end

David Benavidez’s promoter has delivered a contract to Don King, expecting a cruiserweight unification bout versus WBC champion Noel Mikaelian for November in the southwest to be signed by the end of the week.

Sampson Lewkowicz said the parties have verbally agreed to terms, adding as soon as Armenia’s Mikaelian, 28-3 (12 KOs), signs, “we have a fight.”

Lewkowicz said the bout with Phoenix’s Benavidez, 32-0 (26 KOs), will most likely land in Las Vegas, although Phoenix and Los Angeles are also in play for the Prime Video/DAZN pay-per-view bout.

Already wearing the WBC light-heavyweight belt, Benavidez captured the WBA and WBO cruiserweight straps on May 2 by stopping two-division champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Mikaelian won the WBC belt by defeating former champion Badou Jack by decision in December in Los Angeles.

While it appeared Mikaelian would turn to recent IBF champion Jai Opetaia, Benavidez’s request to the WBC to move up a division for a title fight was granted, and Mikaelian switched to talks with Benavidez, a three-division champion at age 29. 

Lewkowicz said Benavidez repeated his tradition of agreeing verbally to the financial terms the promoter presented him for the Mikaelian fight recently.

“He’s done that from the start, whether it was $20,000 back then or the millions he’s getting for this fight,” Lewkowicz said. “He doesn’t hesitate. He asks who he’s fighting. I tell him. He says 'yes.'”