WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman made clear Monday that his organization’s cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian loses his belt once he formally commits to fight unbeaten Zuffa Boxing champion Jai Opetaia.
Sulaiman on Friday formally ordered Armenia’s Mikaelian 28-3 (12 KOs) to fight WBC light-heavyweight and WBO/WBA cruiserweight David Benavidez in response to Benavidez’s request to be established as mandatory contender.
By missing a six-month window to stage a voluntary request, Mikaelian now must fight mandatory contender Benavidez next.
“The WBC order is Mikaelian against Benavidez. That’s it. If he takes another fight, he is relinquishing his obligations with the WBC,” Sulaiman told BoxingScene.
Benavidez 32-0 (26 KOs) met with Sulaiman in Mexico last week, informing Sulaiman he wants to unify the cruiserweight belts as three-belt light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol appears bound for either a trilogy bout with former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev or a date with his WBO mandatory contender Callum Smith.
That would leave Benavidez most likely charged with fighting Poland’s WBC interim cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak 28-2 (22 KOs), with Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz saying he expects his fighter to return to the ring in November.
Sulaiman said he has not had recent contact with Mikaelian’s veteran promoter Don King, 94, who’s had an extended relationship with Sulaiman and his late father, ex-WBC President Jose Sulaiman, dating to the 1970s.
Asked if there’s a firm deadline for Mikaelian to commit to a Benavidez bout, Sulaiman said, “Not at this time. I’ll be talking to all the different managers. This is a top priority. I’m very much looking forward to making sure this happens.”
BoxingScene reported earlier Friday that Opetaia and Mikaelian were finalizing negotiations for a cruiserweight bout that would be staged later this year on a The Ring Magazine card put on by Saudi Arabia boxing financier Turki Alalshikh.
Similarly, Alalshikh’s involvement will seemingly allow for WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia to meet Zuffa Boxing’s WBC top-rated contender Conor Benn of England on a “The Ring” card.
Garcia told Jimmy Fallon recently that Benn will be his next opponent, but Zuffa’s past disinterest with working with the WBC and the question of who will stream the fight – Garcia fights on DAZN, Benn on Paramount+ – have raised alarms from boxing officials.
Sulaiman said the fight can occur as long as the Zuffa-promoted fighter complies with the WBC rules and regulations.
“Comply with the rules, there’s no issue,” Sulaiman said.
Calling this a busy week, Sulaiman said he also Monday formally ordered three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to next fight WBC interim champion and new mandatory contender Agit Kabayel.
“I am smiling. Everyone killed the WBC when we allowed and sanctioned [kickboxer] Rico [Verhoeven] to fight for the WBC title. I can proudly say we did the right thing,” Sulaiman said after that well-contested clash in Egypt won by Usyk by 11th-round TKO.
He said giving Manny Pacquiao a title shot last year when he fought then-champion Mario Barrios to a draw and allowing Ryan Garcia to fight and subsequently defeat Barrios have brought him satisfaction from these controversial decisions.
“Now, it’s 3-0 … I have to rub it in,” Sulaiman cracked.
Sulaiman announced he will conduct a formal review of the circumstances that led to the cancellation of former Olympic gold medalist and featherweight world champion Robeisy Ramirez’s fight in Uzbekistan over the weekend versus Asror Vokhidov.
Ramirez claimed on social media that the promoter required a brain MRI three days before the fight. Ramirez said he produced the MRI Friday, but was told it was too late and that the fight was off.
Sulaiman said Ramirez was “heated, furious,” when he spoke to him after arriving from the U.S.
“Every single person in boxing knows you must have medical clearance to fight,” Sulaiman said. “It’s very unfortunate … they arrived in Uzbekistan without medical clearance.”
Also, Sulaiman said he has been informed by Premier Boxing Champions that its WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames will remain at 160lbs after suggesting he will move to super-middleweight.
The WBC interim middleweight champion is a PBC fighter, Jesus Ramos.
