Strip session: Jai Opetaia, Noel Mikaelian can't find sense in losing their titles

LAS VEGAS – A purse or a belt?

This isn’t a shopping trip to Nordstrom or a stroll through the knock-offs along New York’s Canal Street.

No, these are the choices that have occupied the minds of cruiserweight champions Noel Mikaelian and Jai Opetaia this year.

By the first bell of their Saturday night co-main event at T-Mobile Arena, Mikaelian and Opetaia’s joint choices to enrich themselves will have left each belt-less, as both the IBF (in Opetaia’s case in March) and the WBC (for Mikaelian) have taken away their prized straps without either champion suffering a loss.

The pair mulled their fates Wednesday while appearing separately at the media day for Saturday’s Paramount+ (in the U.S.) and DAZN (globally) card headlined by Ryan Garcia’s WBC welterweight title defense versus England’s Conor Benn.

“Same shit, man,” Opetaia said. “Every time I’m doing interviews about fights, I’m getting constantly asked about sanctioning bodies. We have a job to do. We’re here to win a fight. We haven’t lost track of that… it’s the only thing I’m thinking of.”

Australia’s Opetaia, 30-0 (23 KOs), was referring to learning Monday that Mikaelian’s 95-year-old promoter Don King issued a cease-and-desist letter to the new Zuffa Boxing promotion, contending Mikaelian was obligated to follow his promoter’s wishes and accept a unification fight versus unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez for what is believed to be a lesser purse of $1 million.

Armenia’s Mikaelian, 28-3 (12 KOs), explained his manager inserted an addendum to their King contract that allows Mikaelian to find a better offer when negotiating bouts.

“This is the loophole we used,” Mikaelian said in explaining why he believes King’s cease-and-desist threat lacks teeth.

“I knew [King] had a bad reputation, but it was 10 times worse than I was expecting.”

Still, Mikaelian also rejected a WBC order to fight the unbeaten Benavidez, who, as WBC light-heavyweight champion, moved to challenge Mikaelian in a rarely used motion that allows a WBC champion to challenge another one weight class above or below them. 

Because of that, the WBC is expected to strip Mikaelian of his belt he won by defeating Badou Jack in December, and award it to the winner of the expected Benavidez versus interim-champion Michal Cieslak in December in Arizona.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman declined to respond to BoxingScene Wednesday regarding questions about the handling of Mikaelian, who collected his belt Sulaiman in a ceremony in Mexico earlier this year.

“Mauricio… has been a great friend. Business is business. This is how he handles his business. This is how I handle my business,” Mikaelian said. “No hard feelings. But I’m a little tired of sanctioning bodies telling me who to fight. I want to do what I want to do.”

Opetaia said he’s pleased Zuffa followed through on its push for him to “fight the best… unfortunately, politics enters it.”

He called the Mikaelian “outside noise,” when asked how he learned of his opponent’s plight.

“I’m not looking for a headline. I’m looking for a knockout punch. All we do is train. Headlines change every day. Our mission doesn’t,” Opetaia said.

“I’m not here to pretend like I know what’s going on because I don’t believe anyone does. No one knows. While everyone’s trying to read the future, fight, train hard, win: That’s all I’m thinking about. I repeat that every day.”

Mikaelian was similarly entrenched in his position.

“I have full control of my career,” he said. “These are the two best cruiserweights fighting each other. I don’t know who’s being disappointed? I guess nobody.”

Opetaia was stripped by the IBF in March as The Ring lineal cruiserweight champion also sought to fight for the first Zuffa belt, winning it by defeating Brandon Glanton in his Zuffa debut.

The IBF cruiserweight title now sits vacant with mandatory contender David Nykia and second-ranked Viddal Riley in negotiations for a fall title fight as unblemished Opetaia strangely sits as the third-ranked contender.

When someone asked Opetaia how the situation could be resolved, Opetaia said, “I have no clue, mate. What a circus. It never ends. But we’re thinking of different things. It’s my job to win fights. If I keep winning, I’m confident everything else will fall into place.

“[Mikaelian] is a credible opponent, another world champion. We’re both putting it all on the line here. The decision of this fight changes both of our careers. I just need a win: box smart, find those holes. I know he makes mistakes. When he does, capitalize on them.” 

There’s talk from the Benavidez camp that the pending promotional free agent will want to fight the Opetaia-Mikaelian winner on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027, potentially putting three belts up for grabs.

“Noel first,” Opetaia said. “All that [Benavidez] conversation means nothing unless I take care of Noel first. I’ve got 12 hard rounds ahead of me. This isn’t going to come easy. I’ve dug deep.”

While Zuffa Boxing head Dana White has thumbed his nose at boxing’s old ways, including the need for sanctioning bodies, Opetaia admitted the time-honored tradition of belts matter. 

“It’s not names I’m chasing. When my career’s done, look at the [recent] undisputed [four-belt champions] – [Terence] Crawford, [Oleksandr] Usyk,” Opetaia said. “They’re the greats of the generation.

“It’s not very easy to get your name up there. These are the goals I’ve had in my head. These belts and this business have been here well before me and likely will be long after… it’s meant to be hard. This is what makes the fruits of the labor all the more satisfying. We’re gonna fight to win and we’ll worry about the other shit later.”

Mikaelian illustrated the simplicity and complexity of his position by trying to explain it.

“The winner of this fight can fight [Benavidez]. But it’s not in my power. It’s all politics, and they’re trying to use Jai and I as pawns,” he said.

“They’re blaming us for taking this fight. If you can read between the lines, it’s boxing being boxing.

“It’s going to be a great show. I haven’t been stripped yet. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. But they shouldn’t blame fighters for going out to make a living. At the end of the day, this business works off the fighters. It’s going to be a fun fight – in the Mecca of boxing.”

Yet, he could both lose his belt and lose the bout to different men Saturday.

“I’ll be a world champion forever,” Mikaelian said. “They play with you. So you’ve got to step up and do what you can for yourself.”