Boxing

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

Published

3 weeks ago

September 12, 2026

"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.

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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.

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

Boxing

Filip Hrgovic Aims for Heavyweight Rematch: I Want My Shot

Published

5 hours ago

October 2, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Filip Hrgovic Aims for Heavyweight Rematch: "I Want My Shot"

Filip Hrgovic has named a potential rematch as his most desirable fight, rather than a more likely title defence against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.

The Croatian did, of course, become a world heavyweight champion in August, claiming the vacant IBF title with a stunning ninth-round stoppage of Moses Itauma.

Throughout their contest, Hrgovic was getting thoroughly outboxed and even suffered a second-round knockdown, before managing to take advantage of a severely fatigued Itauma.

As a result, the 34-year-old fulfilled his long-term ambition of becoming a major champion but, soon enough, will be ordered to face leading contender Sanchez.

It was agreed, after all, that the winner of Itauma-Hrgovic would need to defend his belt against the Cuban, who accepted step-aside money under the condition that he is entitled to an immediate title shot.

From the perspective of Hrgovic, however, a unification match with former foe Daniel Dubois is far more appealing, given that it would present him with a shot at revenge and the chance to claim another title.

Speaking with The Stomping Ground‘El Animal’ highlighted this as his preferred option, despite suffering an eighth-round stoppage defeat to ‘Dynamite’ in June 2024.

“That Dubois rematch would be the best fight for me. And to get my revenge – to get [a] unification – that will be the best fight for me. But we’ll see.”

While Hrgovic, clearly, is determined to exact his revenge on Dubois, he must first defend his IBF title against Sanchez while Dubois, as the WBO champion, is entering a rematch with Fabio Wardley on October 17.

Boxing

Filip Hrgovic Dominates Rico Verhoeven in Epic Showdown

Published

7 hours ago

October 2, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Filip Hrgovic Dominates Rico Verhoeven in Epic Showdown"

Derek Chisora is backing Rico Verhoeven to beat IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic in a proposed fight, dismissing Hrgovic’s victory over Moses Itauma as the young challenger simply getting tired.

That prediction overlooks how much Verhoeven would be giving away in boxing experience, power and overall ability. His size helped him compete against Oleksandr Usykbut the 6’6″ Hrgovic would reduce that advantage while presenting a heavier punching threat.

The matchup has been discussed for the December 11 Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua undercard in Cardiff, although no deal has been announced. Hrgovic’s IBF mandatory challenger, Frank Sanchez, remains an obstacle after already stepping aside for the Itauma fight.

“Hrgovic would lose that fight,” Chisora told Seconds Out. “Moses Itauma didn’t get beat, Moses Itauma beat himself.

“It’s not like Moses Itauma left that ring with a beatdown, he just got tired. Hrgovic was far off in rounds, he couldn’t even landed the punches, he [Moses] just got tired.

“Itauma didn’t come out of that ring and say, ‘oh my goodness, I got my a** whooped’.”

That dismissive excuse ignores how championship boxing actually works. Fatigue does not occur by accident. Blocking concussive punches, wrestling out of clinches, and constantly retreating from a relentless 245-pound puncher burns through stamina rapidly. Itauma learned the hard way that early success evaporates if you cannot sustain the pace.

Verhoeven suffered that exact fate against Usyk, wilting the second the Ukrainian dialed up the pressure in the eleventh round. Hrgovic makes that endurance deficit even more dangerous. Rico cannot rely on superior size against a fighter who matches his height and hits considerably harder. Verhoeven built a legendary kickboxing resume, but five-round bouts provide zero preparation for surviving twelve rounds against a seasoned Olympic medalist with proven late-round stopping power.

Hrgovic showed real vulnerability when Daniel Dubois stopped him, proving his chin is not invincible. The Croatian possesses vastly superior seasoning when it comes to operating inside a grueling boxing firefight. Verhoeven came apart as Usyk piled on clean punches in the championship rounds, revealing that kickboxing dominance does not translate to twelve-round punch resistance.

Chisora gladly points out Hrgovic’s defensive holes, yet he stays silent on how Rico survives his own glaring deficits. Between ring generalship, inside fighting, and raw professional boxing experience, Hrgovic holds every meaningful card. Verhoeven earned respect simply by going deep against Usyk, but dethroning an experienced heavyweight champion demands a reservoir of endurance the kickboxer has never possessed.

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Boxing

Denzel Bentley to Defend WBO Title Against Mosley in High-Stakes Bout

Published

8 hours ago

October 2, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Denzel Bentley to Defend WBO Title Against Mosley in High-Stakes Bout"

Denzel Bentley announced his matchup against Shane Mosley Jr. for November 7 in London, yet he moved forward without getting the green light to bypass mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. That choice puts his WBO middleweight title on thin ice.

Signing a multi-fight pact with Zuffa hands Bentley a fresh promotional backing, but that paperwork does nothing to clear his mandatory duties. Naming Mosley before the sanctioning body rules on his petition turns the formal request into an afterthought, giving the impression that he expects rubber-stamp approval for a done deal.

Bentley maintains that the belt stays around his waist while he petitions for permission to box Mosley. Those remarks show the appeal remains unresolved, even though organizers have already made public plans for the London date.

“Most importantly I am still currently the WBO middleweight champion,” Bentley told Sky Sports News. “I know everything that’s gone on online and all the rumours [that he could be stripped of belt]. My team has put in an appeal, that appeal has gone through. We are hoping that we can get through this appeal and we get to defend this WBO title against a game, ranked opponent too.”

Mosley sitting in the rankings gives Bentley talking points, yet it fails to address Hernandez holding the inside track. The sanctioning body already mandated the defense, completed the purse bid, and watched Warriors Boxing win the rights. Bentley is simply asking officials to move Hernandez aside so another challenger can cut in line.

HOW ‘BOUT THIS CO-MAIN EVENT 🤯

🇬🇧 @2Sharp_D at @ShaneMosleyJr 🇺🇸#ZuffaBoxing12 | 🎟️ https://t.co/5UKwop50iz pic.twitter.com/vaMOkzH16X

— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) October 2, 2026

The bout fills the co-feature slot for Zuffa Boxing 12 at Copper Box Arena, supporting the Chris Billam-Smith versus Cheavon Clarke headliner. Mosley already fights under the Zuffa banner, so the matchmaking fits the promotional playbook.

Convincing Hernandez to stand aside presents a much steeper hill to climb, especially since his title shot already went through a purse bid. Warriors Boxing secured promotional rights with a $200,000 bid once direct talks collapsed. Hernandez holds an officially ordered shot backed by money on the table, putting him far ahead of someone just asking for a turn.

Bentley jumping out ahead of the sanctioning body does not guarantee an immediate stripping, so writing off his reign today jumps the gun. Still, pressing ahead without permission leaves him backed into a corner where he must satisfy the mandatory, secure an official exception, or forfeit the belt.

The WBO already took a hard line by telling Bentley that Hernandez came first when talk turned toward an Aaron McKenna unification. Sanctioning a voluntary run against Mosley now forces the organization to justify giving Hernandez another delay.

Zuffa delivers solid commercial upside and a home crowd in London, which makes Bentley’s interest clear. Still, those perks give no justification for stripping away a mandatory shot that Hernandez rightfully earned.

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