Connect with us

Boxing

Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing

Published

1 hour ago

on

"Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing"

By Boxing News 24 Desk – 09/11/2026 – Comments

Jai Opetaia may defeat WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night without being allowed to claim his title. What was presented as a unification fight could now proceed with only Opetaia’s Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing belts available.

“Don King reports that the WBC cruiserweight title will not be on the line in the Mikaelian vs. Opetaia fight this Saturday. Let’s wait for what the organization officially says,” Rodriguez on X.

Opetaia and Mikaelian are scheduled to meet in the co-feature of the Ryan Garcia–Conor Benn card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Removing the WBC title would take much of the historical value from the matchup. Opetaia can establish himself as the better fighter and beat the reigning WBC champion, yet leave the arena no closer to becoming undisputed. That is a poor result for a cruiserweight division already divided among several champions.


Add EBoxing News 24as a preferred source on Google

Follow Boxing News 24 on Google News

The WBC had ordered Mikaelian to face WBA and WBO champion David Benavidez. Mikaelian instead accepted the Opetaia fight after a deal with Benavidez was not completed, placing his title status in danger.

King has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and TKO Group Holdings. His promotional company claims it holds an exclusive agreement with Mikaelian and did not authorize the Opetaia fight. Hehas already lost the IBF title without being defeated in the ring after the organization refused to sanction his fight with Brandon Glanton. The Australian may now be denied an opportunity to win the WBC belt for similar reasons involving sanctioning rules and promotional control.

Nothing changes about the difficulty of Saturday’s fight. Mikaelian remains a capable, experienced cruiserweight who defeated Badou Jack in their December rematch. The difference is that Opetaia may receive considerably less for beating him.

Until the WBC releases an official ruling, Mikaelian remains its cruiserweight champion. If King’s information is accurate, however, the fight has gone from a meaningful unification to another example of boxing preventing its leading cruiserweights from settling the division inside the ring.

Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter

Related Boxing News:

Categories Jai Opetaia

Last Updated on 2026/09/12 at 4:11 AM


<!-- Exit Bee Code Snippet for boxingnews24.com <-- DO NOT MODIFY -->






Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Dana White Aims to Build UFC Future Around Conor Benns Rising Star Power

Published

1 hour ago

on

September 12, 2026

By

"Dana White Aims to Build UFC Future Around Conor Benn's Rising Star Power"
Add EBoxing News 24as a preferred source on Google

Follow Boxing News 24 on Google News

Now Benn has returned to 147 pounds after four years away from the division and received an undeserved WBC title shot against Ryan Garcia. White nevertheless sees qualities in the British challenger that go far beyond Saturday night.

“Tell me something in the history of the world where trillions of dollars in revenue have been generated, yet at the end of the day there’s nothing there? That’s been boxing,” White told DAZN Boxing. “Now I’m going to turn boxing into a business. And when you create a business or build a business or invest in a business, you have to have people that you can invest in. Who can you build a business around? Everything that I have seen from Conor Benn, he’s a guy you can build a business around. Disciplined, hardworking, gets the business side and the boxing side. Works hard on both ends. He’s one of the most unique fighters I’ve ever met.”

Discipline and professionalism make Benn easier to promote, but neither quality tells us how he beats the best fighters. A boxing business eventually needs victories that hold up under scrutiny. Benn’s record does not provide many of those.

His plan is to move to 160 pounds after facing Ryan. That division offers even fewer safe places to hide. Benn might have a chance against an arguably weaker champion such as Aaron McKenna. Put him in with Carlos Adames, Yoenli Hernandez or even 43-year-old Erislandy Lara, and the outcome probably won’t be pleasant.

The sensible business strategy would be to avoid those matchups. Zuffa can direct him toward vulnerable titleholders, vacant belts, and secondary sanctioning body hardware.

A third Eubank fight is almost a given if Zuffa wants a profitable matchup Benn can win without being exposed. Eubank is 36, nearing 37 and far removed from his best years. The rivalry already sells in Britain, while Eubank offers less danger than Adames, Hernandez or Lara. It is exactly the kind of recycled grudge match that can produce revenue while keeping Benn away from the strongest middleweights.

That approach would make Benn a useful house fighter. He trains hard, handles promotional duties, and gives White the cooperation required to keep Zuffa’s brand at the front of the production. Those traits may be more valuable to a promoter than the ability to defeat every elite opponent.

Careful opponent selection can also create entertaining matchups by pairing Benn with aggressive fighters who lack the skill or durability to punish his defensive flaws. The fights would look dangerous to casual viewers while remaining manageable for Benn. Modern boxing offers plenty of ways to market someone as a champion without requiring him to beat the strongest fighter in the division.

British fans may continue watching in large numbers because Benn has a famous surname and knows how to sell a grudge. American viewers couldn’t care less that his father is Nigel Benn. Most younger fans in the United States have no idea who Nigel is. He fought in another era, primarily in Britain, long before DAZN made British boxing easily available to an American audience.

Benn can become a commercial attraction with protective matchmaking. White is talking as if he has found a transformational star. The distinction is enormous.

Youtube video

Continue Reading

Boxing

Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness

Published

10 hours ago

on

September 11, 2026

By

"Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness"
Add East Side Boxing as a preferred source on Google

Follow East Side Boxing on Google News

“Before I retired, there wasn’t too many people jumping and calling for Terence Crawford. Now that I’m retired, everybody calling out your boy,” Crawford said to Nightcap. “It’s the payday and opportunity. They look at it and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to get the highest check of our career. This dude is about to be 39. He probably slowed down a step or two, and maybe this is the right time.’”

His reading of the belated Crawford chase is fair. Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants him, Ryan Garcia has taken shots at his record, and Dana White has talked about finding the right fight to pull him back. He has become far more popular as a target since announcing he is finished.

The risk has changed as well. Calling out an active Crawford meant eventually having to fight him. Challenging him now gives a boxer publicity without requiring him to follow through unless an enormous financial package materializes.

Age is clearly part of the attraction. A younger opponent can collect a career-high purse while hoping that time has removed enough of the speed, reflexes, and stamina that made Crawford so difficult. If the challenger loses, he was beaten by an all-time great. If he wins, Crawford’s name becomes the foundation of his career.

An Ennis fight would therefore need to offer Crawford much more than another name on his record. He already walked away after winning titles in five divisions and becoming undisputed in three. Beating Ennis would generate money, but the reaction would quickly turn into claims that Crawford was always supposed to win.

He also insisted that he is enjoying retirement and does not miss competing inside the ring.

“I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. I don’t have to worry about anything. All I have to do is enjoy life, travel the world, and be a fan. In the ring, no, not really. I did everything. When I walked away, I was a five-division champion and three-division undisputed. You can’t do it any better than how I did it.”

The challenges may continue because Crawford remains the biggest available payday from 147 through 160. That does not mean any of those fighters wanted the same test before his departure made it safer to ask.

Youtube video

Continue Reading

Boxing

Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcias Egg Stunt Controversy

Published

10 hours ago

on

September 11, 2026

By

"Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcia's Egg Stunt Controversy"

Ryan Garcia showed up to Friday’s face-off with a pair of eggs tucked into his pockets, seemingly planning to pelt Conor Benn. The prank fell apart before Garcia even stepped on stage because Dana White’s security guards caught on immediately.

“Before the face-off, Ryan Garcia had two eggs in his pocket. My security team saw it and he came up to me before. He said, ‘He’s got two eggs in his pocket. What do you want me to do?’ I said, ‘Have him give you the eggs. Get the eggs out of his pocket,’” White told Ring Magazine. “We don’t need him hitting Conor Benn with an egg.”

White made the right call. Tossing an egg sounds silly on paper, but Benn was never going to shrug off that kind of public disrespect under the glare of the cameras. A single retaliatory swing could have sparked an injury, triggered a suspension, or completely wiped out the headliner.


Add East Side Boxing as a preferred source on Google

Follow East Side Boxing on Google News

Garcia clearly plotted this out ahead of time. He sourced the eggs, slipped them past the doors, and bided his time until the face-off. The payoff amounted to nothing more than a brief viral clip online. The downside was putting a massive WBC welterweight title bout in jeopardy after promoters poured millions into the event.

Security stepped in just in time to protect Garcia from his own worst impulses. When Saturday night arrives, he can focus on landing clean punches against Benn instead of throwing breakfast food. Taking those eggs away prevented an instant, close-quarters brawl that almost certainly would have left one of them cut, bruised, and unfit to fight on Saturday. Ryan was playing with fire for a five-second clip.

Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter

Latest Boxing News:

Tags Conor BennRyan Garcia

Last Updated on 2026/09/11 at 7:31 PM

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending