WBC demand Noel Mikaelian make his position clear as Zuffa's Jai Opetaia looms
Aug 12, 2026 • 10:27 AM ET
CMHThe WBC has sent a formal letter to Noel Mikaelian promoter Don King, asking the fighter to commit to either moving toward a Zuffa Boxing match versus that promotion’s cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia or accept his WBC title defense versus unified champion David Benavidez.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told BoxingScene he did not attach a firm deadline for King and Mikaelian to respond, but he made it clear Armenia’s Mikaelian, 28-3 (12 KOs), is subject to being stripped of his belt.
Zuffa Boxing has already announced Mikaelian will fight Australia’s former IBF champion Opetaia, 30-0 (23 KOs), on September 12 as the Las Vegas co-main event to the WBC welterweight title defense by Ryan Garcis versus Zuffa’s Conor Benn of England.
Sulaiman and Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz scoffed at those criticizing Benavidez’s ability to elevate from WBC light-heavyweight champion to Mikaelian’s mandatory contender in the division above.
The WBC and other sanctioning bodies, including the WBO, will allow a champion from one division to petition to immediately contend for the belt one weight class above or below.
The WBO previously did something similar, moving its former lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis to No. 1 welterweight contender.
Zuffa announced Opetaia-Mikaelian just as King and Lewkowicz struck a deal for a Mikaelian title defense versus Phoenix’s Benavidez in December in Glendale, Arizona.
Mikaelian is currently in training for Opetaia, and Benavidez Tuesday posted on social media that his next fight will be announced soon, likely for the WBC cruiserweight title versus interim beltholder Michal Cieslak.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
