Michal Cieslak

Bio

Michal Cieslak is the Polish cruiserweight who holds the WBC title at 200 lbs, and he is about to find out how much the rest of boxing actually rates him.

On December 12 in Phoenix he defends against David Benavidez, who has moved up from 175 and is already talking publicly about a Cinco de Mayo showdown with Jai Opetaia the following May. Let's not beat around the bush — Cieslak is being treated as the appointment before the real one.

That framing is a mistake, and it is the sort of mistake that ends careers. Cieslak is a legitimate cruiserweight who has spent his career at the weight rather than growing into it. Benavidez will be the second-year resident at 200 lbs; Cieslak lives there.

He is a disciplined, orthodox fighter who does his best work behind a straight jab and is difficult to rush. Against a pressure fighter who wants to walk forward behind a high guard, that is a genuinely awkward night.

Make no mistake, if Cieslak beats Benavidez in December the entire top end of the cruiserweight division reorganises itself around him overnight. He is the most underrated man in the story.