Jai Opetaia will face WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian on Saturday, September 12, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Zuffa Boxing announced Tuesday.
The fight will serve as the co-feature to the fight between WBC 147-pound champion Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.
Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs), 31, who the IBF recently stripped after fighting Brandon Glanton on his debut with Zuffa Boxing, currently has a lawsuit against the IBF. In this fight against Mikaelian, Opetaia will be defending his Ring Magazine and Zuffa titles.
“This is a huge card, and I look forward to showing the world once again why I’m the best cruiserweight on the planet,” Opetaia said in a statement. “Credit to Noel for stepping up to the plate while others — yes, David Benavidez, I’m talking about you — continue to run and hide.”
Mikaelian, 35, who defeated Badou Jack in December, was expected to defend his belt against unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez, according to Don King(Mikaelian’s promoter) and Sampson Lewkowicz(Benavidez’s promoter), so he could get stripped of his title, but as of now, he expects to defend his belt against Opetaia.
“When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship,” Mikaelian said in a statement. “This is the fight I’ve wanted since becoming a two-time world champion, and I’m ready to deliver. I haven’t fought since December 2025 because of circumstances outside of my control. I refused to stay inactive. Champions are meant to defend their titles, and that’s exactly what I’m prepared to do.”
Mikaelian’s advisor, Anthony Girges, says his fighter has not seen an offer for a fight against Benavidez.
“My job has always been to put Noel in the best position to succeed,” Girges said in a statement. “More than 60 days after Noel vs. David Benavidez was ordered, we still haven’t received a bona fide offer. Noel wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines any longer. This isn’t just about two champions in Noel and Opetaia. It’s about protecting the integrity of the sport and making the fights the fans deserve.”
At this point, who knows what the truth is, and whatever the truth is, unfortunately, might be sorted out by the courts.
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