World champion Mikaelian targets Opetaia and Benavidez to derail 2027 plans

Noel Mikaelian plans to disrupt the proposed Jai Opetaia-David Benavidez fight by defeating both men. The WBC cruiserweight champion is scheduled to face Opetaia on September 12, while Benavidez is being lined up for a December bout with Michal Cieslak before a potential meeting with Opetaia in the first half of 2027.

Mikaelian holds the WBC title but could lose it if the sanctioning body removes him from the championship position. He has been mandated to fight Benavidez, who became the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion after stopping Gilberto Ramirez on his debut in the division.

Cieslak is the WBC interim champion and is expected to become the full titleholder if Mikaelian is stripped. That would clear the way for Benavidez to challenge Cieslak in a fight being discussed for December 12. Benavidez is pursuing the undisputed cruiserweight championship after moving up from super-middleweight.

Mikaelian has indicated that a change in his title status would not alter his immediate priorities. He is focused on beating Opetaia and producing his best performance, while rejecting the idea that Benavidez has established himself as the division’s feared fighter after only one cruiserweight contest.

The Armenian champion acknowledged Benavidez’s combinations, activity and ability, but believes the American’s victory over Ramirez does not make him unbeatable. Ramirez was also a former super-middleweight, a point Mikaelian used when assessing Benavidez’s short record at cruiserweight.

Opetaia’s own title situation remains unsettled. The Australian was stripped of the IBF belt after signing with Zuffa Boxing and has started legal action to seek reinstatement. If he does not regain the championship, Viddal Riley is expected to fight David Nyika for the vacant title.

Opetaia and Mikaelian are set to meet as the co-main event on the Garcia-Benn card. A Mikaelian victory would remove one of the planned obstacles between Benavidez and Opetaia, but another win over Benavidez would give the champion a direct route to changing the division’s projected 2027 headline fight.