David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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Noel Mikaelyan didn’t seem bothered by his opponent’s absence from the final pre-fight press conference.
After all, it’s not the first time that Ilunga Junior Makabu has failed to meet the long-waiting cruiserweight contender.
“He was champion for like three years. He was avoiding me for a long time,” Mikaelyan said during Wednesday’s press conference, with only an empty chair to show for Makabu’s planned participation. “But, we are ready for him this weekend.”
Makabu-Mikaelyan are due to meet this weekend for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title. The scheduled twelve-round title fight will headline a Don King-promoted Pay-Per-View event this Saturday (Fite TV, 8:00 p.m. ET, $19.99 USD) from Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida.
It will mark the first ring appearance in nearly two years for Mikaelyan (26-2, 11KOs), an Armenia-born, German boxer who now lives in Miami. The 33-year-old cruiserweight has waited more than a year for his mandatory shot at the WBC title previously held by Makabu (29-3, 25KOs), a 35-year-old Congolese southpaw who was still en route from Johannesburg, South Africa and unable to participate in the first fight week activity.
The two were previously due to meet on January 21. The bout was pulled from King’s first extravaganza of 2023 when it was agreed upon that Makabu would instead defend his title versus Badou Jack. The more lucrative opportunity had its downfall, as Jack scored a 12th round stoppage to win the belt and become a three-division titlist. He has since vacated the title, which created the opportunity for Mikaelyan and Makabu to meet this weekend.
Unfortunately, Mikaelyan was not even afforded so much as a stay-busy affair ahead of his first major title fight. He has been out of the ring since a twelve-round decision over Youri Kalenga last February 12 to position himself atop the WBC cruiserweight rankings.
His plan now is to make Makabu pay for the extended downtime, though in the ring. For now, he has avoided the temptation to drag his opponent’s name through the mud.
“I don’t care,” Mikaelyan noted of Makabu’s absence on Wednesday. “The most important thing is that he’s here Saturday in the ring.
“If not, then I will be very disappointed.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
