Boxing News
WBC strips Noel Mikaelian, upgrades Michal Cieslak, paves way to David Benavidez vs. Jai Opetaia
Sep 14, 2026 • 7:43 PM ET
The WBC Monday stripped cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian of his title, elevating Poland’s Michal Cieslak to champion, confirming Cieslak will defend his belt December 12 against unified champion David Benavidez.
Saying “the WBC made numerous attempts and undertook countless efforts to bring all interested parties together toward reaching the necessary agreements,” the sanctioning body ordered unbeaten former IBF champion Jai Opetaia to next meet the Benavidez-Cieslak winner.
The situation arose when recent WBC cruiserweight champion Mikaelian moved toward being stripped by choosing to take the more lucrative bout against Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion Opetaia, 31-0 (24 KOs), Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The WBC had previously ordered Mikaelian to fight WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Benavidez when the unbeaten WBC light-heavyweight champion invoked a rarely used request to be declared the mandatory contender to a champion who had been without an opponent for six months.
Cieslak, 28-2 (22 KOs), gained the interim belt by defeating the aged Jean Pascal in June after previously losing unanimous decisions to Lawrence Okolie in 2022 and a 2020 title shot to former champion Junior Makabu.
Benavidez, 29, gained the unified cruiserweight belts by stopping Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez by sixth-round knockout in May.
The expectation is that Benavidez, 32-0 (26 KOs), will be heavily favored over Cieslak, defeating him to set up a Zuffa Boxing showdown with Opetaia on Cinco de Mayo weekend, 2027, after the pair faced off in the ring following Opetaia’s ninth-round stoppage of Mikaelian Saturday night.
Cieslak is expected to meet Phoenix’s Benavidez in the greater Phoenix area in what will be Benavidez’s final bout with veteran promoter Sampson Lewkowicz and Premier Boxing Champions.
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.
