- The WBC has warned Mikaelian he loses the belt if he formally commits to fighting Jai Opetaia rather than the ordered Benavidez mandatory
- The sanctioning body ordered Mikaelian vs David Benavidez last week and is refusing to let it drift
- Luke Parker reckons Mikaelian should take the Benavidez money — but the Opetaia fight is the one the hardcore fans actually want
Right Then — A Champion Caught In The Middle
Right then, the WBC cruiserweight picture has gone from tangled to outright chaotic in the space of a week. Noel Mikaelian has been told in no uncertain terms that he will be stripped of his title the moment he formally signs to fight Jai Opetaia in a unification, rather than honour the mandatory the governing body has just ordered. Make no mistake, this is the kind of squeeze that defines a champion's career.
How We Got Here
Last week the WBC ordered Mikaelian to defend against David Benavidez, a man who has already announced himself as a proper force up at cruiserweight. Now the warning has hardened: chase the Opetaia super-fight, and the belt goes. For Mikaelian, that's a horrible position. One path is the mandated route and a guaranteed monster payday against Benavidez; the other is the unification that the purists have been crying out for.
Why The Opetaia Fight Is The One Fans Want
Let's not beat around the bush. Opetaia is, for my money, the best cruiserweight on the planet — a brilliant technician with genuine spite in his shots. A clean unification between the belt-holders is the fight that settles the division. Stripping Mikaelian for trying to make it would be the sanctioning bodies getting in the way of the sport again, and that's the bit that grinds my gears.
Why Benavidez Is Impossible To Ignore
And yet you cannot wave away Benavidez. The Mexican-American is relentless, he throws in brutal volume, and he's the bigger name and the bigger cheque. If Mikaelian fancies a long, lucrative reign, the safe and sanctioned move is to deal with the mandatory and keep the WBC sweet. That's the cold logic of it.
My Prediction
I'll not sit on the fence. I think Mikaelian ends up taking the Benavidez mandatory — the WBC has left him precious little room, and the guaranteed money talks. But here's my honest take: the belt politics are robbing us, because Opetaia against Mikaelian is the cleaner, better fight. Whoever Mikaelian shares a ring with next, I fancy him to come up short against this calibre of opposition. If you know, you know — the cruiserweight division is the most ruthless in boxing right now, and Mikaelian is about to find out the hard way.