WBC send letter to famous promoter.
If you are aware of the current state of boxing’s cruiserweight division, you will know that things are slightly messy, to say the least.
For one thing, Jai Opetaia (previously considered to be the best fighter in the division) recently signed to Zuffa Boxing, meaning his IBF belt (which he is a two-time holder of despite being undefeated) was stripped from him.
More recently, Opetaia filed a lawsuit over the matter, alleging that the governing bodies worked together to strip him for the purpose of turning other fighters off from also joining Zuffa.
Regardless, while Opetaia fights under Dana White’s promotion, many consider the cruiserweight division to be in the hands of David Benavidez, the current WBA and WBO world champion.
Benavidez was reportedly set to face WBC champion Noel Mikaelian in a three-belt unification, but it was then announced that Mikaelian would be fighting Opetaia on the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard.
Because of this move, Mikaelian is in danger of losing his WBC title, which could be on the line in a fight between Benavidez and WBC interim champion Michal Cieslak. However, Mauricio Sulaiman (president of the WBC) has now sent a formal letter to Don King, Mikaelian’s promoter.
The purpose of the letter is to ask for Mikaelian’s full commitment to either his Zuffa Boxing title fight with Opetaia or his potential unification with Benavidez.
Opetaia was most recently relieved of his duties as IBF titleholder when he chose to face Brandon Glanton for Zuffa’s inaugural cruiserweight championship earlier this year, and it seems a similar fate could very well befall Mikaelian.
But either way, the situation serves as a further complication to the 200-pound division’s world class.
Want to get the latest boxing news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
