2 months ago
Jai Opetaia became the first opponent to stop Noel Mikaelian in the co-main event Saturday in Las Vegas.
Following the win, Opetaia was joined in the ring by current unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez.
The two men agreed to face each other next May 2027 in Las Vegas to the delight of fans at the T-Mobile Arena.
The co-main event delivered a win for Jai Opetaia in the ring, and thrilled fans with news of a unification superfight next May in Las Vegas. Start making your travel plans now.
First things first. Opetaia did what no one had yet managed to do: stop Noel Mikaelian.
#opetaia #main
Following the win, Opetaia was joined in the ring by current unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez.
The two men agreed to face each other next May 2027 in Las Vegas to the delight of fans at the T-Mobile Arena.
The co-main event delivered a win for Jai Opetaia in the ring, and thrilled fans with news of a unification superfight next May in Las Vegas. Start making your travel plans now.
First things first. Opetaia did what no one had yet managed to do: stop Noel Mikaelian.
#opetaia #main
2 months ago
Jai Opetaia scored a brutal technical knockout win in the ninth round of his cruiserweight clash with Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night, then lined up a potentially massive showdown with pound-for-pound star David Benavidez for Cinco de Mayo next year.
It all went down at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard, and provided the sport with something it has lacked — continuity — in a 200-pound division often overlooked in favor of the traditionally more glamorous weight classes that surround it.
Opetaia walked to the ring sweating, as if he'd warmed up with intent to hurt, and he needed no second invitation to land the first punch of the night. He kept his forearms high to thwart Mikaelian's probing punches, throwing single shots in return, mostly to the head and to the body too. But a clash of heads, likely caused by their opposing stances, appeared to open a cut below Opetaia's eye, slowing The Ring champion's momentum.
IS THIS FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN ⁉️
See y'all next Cinco de Mayo 👀#GarciaBenn pic.twitter.com/rzWlLyVCzN
Whether it was the bruising that had begun to grow, or the loss of his friend and former trainer Louis Meehan, who was shot dead Wednesday in a Sydney suburb, Opetaia seemed momentarily subdued.
#mayo #next
It all went down at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard, and provided the sport with something it has lacked — continuity — in a 200-pound division often overlooked in favor of the traditionally more glamorous weight classes that surround it.
Opetaia walked to the ring sweating, as if he'd warmed up with intent to hurt, and he needed no second invitation to land the first punch of the night. He kept his forearms high to thwart Mikaelian's probing punches, throwing single shots in return, mostly to the head and to the body too. But a clash of heads, likely caused by their opposing stances, appeared to open a cut below Opetaia's eye, slowing The Ring champion's momentum.
IS THIS FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN ⁉️
See y'all next Cinco de Mayo 👀#GarciaBenn pic.twitter.com/rzWlLyVCzN
Whether it was the bruising that had begun to grow, or the loss of his friend and former trainer Louis Meehan, who was shot dead Wednesday in a Sydney suburb, Opetaia seemed momentarily subdued.
#mayo #next
2 months ago
Uncrowned has Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn live results, round-by-round updates, ring walks, highlights and start time for the Garcia vs. Benn fight card on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Two of boxing's biggest and most polarizing stars go head-to-head as Ryan Garcia defends his WBC welterweight ******* le against Conor Benn in the night's main event.
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) captured the WBC welterweight ******* le with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios this past February in Las Vegas. He has two defeats: a 2025 decision loss to Rolando "Rolly" Romero for the WBA welterweight ******* le and a seventh-round TKO at the hands of Gervonta "Tank" Davis in 2023.
Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) narrowly fell short against Chris Eubank Jr. in a Fight of the Year in April 2025. He avenged that defeat last November, knocking down Eubank twice in Round 12 to seal a masterclass performance.
Benn shocked the boxing world this past February by announcing a defection from Eddie Hearn's Matchroom to Dana White's Zuffa Boxing. Benn outpointed Regis Prograis in his Zuffa debut in April.
In the night's co-feature, former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) challenges WBC champion Noel Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs). Although there is no official confirmation yet, the WBC cruiserweight ******* le isn't expected to be on the line, with Mikalian set to be stripped by the sanctioning body upon the start of the bout.
#garcia #vegas
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) captured the WBC welterweight ******* le with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios this past February in Las Vegas. He has two defeats: a 2025 decision loss to Rolando "Rolly" Romero for the WBA welterweight ******* le and a seventh-round TKO at the hands of Gervonta "Tank" Davis in 2023.
Benn (25-1, 14 KOs) narrowly fell short against Chris Eubank Jr. in a Fight of the Year in April 2025. He avenged that defeat last November, knocking down Eubank twice in Round 12 to seal a masterclass performance.
Benn shocked the boxing world this past February by announcing a defection from Eddie Hearn's Matchroom to Dana White's Zuffa Boxing. Benn outpointed Regis Prograis in his Zuffa debut in April.
In the night's co-feature, former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) challenges WBC champion Noel Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs). Although there is no official confirmation yet, the WBC cruiserweight ******* le isn't expected to be on the line, with Mikalian set to be stripped by the sanctioning body upon the start of the bout.
#garcia #vegas
2 months ago
Zuffa Boxing's biggest card to date is now official after Ryan Garciaand Conor Benn made weight for their welterweight ***** le clash.
The 12-round headliner will see Garcia, the World Boxing Councilwelterweight champion, look to defend against Benn. Both men madeweight without issue despite speculation that Benn would struggleto hit his mark. All other fighters on the card also made weight,including Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who will takeon Noel Mikaelian.
Garcia (25-2) enters the fight having defeated Mario Barrios toclaim the WBC ***** le. This bounceback performance came after "KingRy" failed to dethrone Rolando Romero for the WBA belt last year.Garcia officially weighed 145.5 pounds for the ***** le defense.
Looking to cause an upset is Benn (26-1), whose only career defeatcame to Chris Eubank Jr. last year. However, the British superstarwon the rematch and then defeated Regis Prograis in his latestouting. Benn weighed 146 pounds on the dot.
The Zuffa Boxing Benn vs. Garcia event will stream live onParamount+. The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
RyanGarcia (145.5) vs. Conor Benn (146)
Champ Jai Opetaia (199) vs. Noel Mikaelian (200)
Raphael Akpejiori (246) vs. Da'Mazion Vanhouter (231.5)
Andres Cortes (135) vs. Mark Magsayo (134.5)
Oswaldo Molina (131.5) vs. Pablo Rubio Jr. (131)
Abel Gonzalez (167.5) vs. Raul Salomon (167)
Dakota Linger (150.5) vs. Vlad Panin (151.5)
Jose Ramirez (146.5) vs. Alexis Rocha (146.5)
Sean Garcia (134) vs. AbrahamMorales (134)
#garcia #boxing #opetaia
The 12-round headliner will see Garcia, the World Boxing Councilwelterweight champion, look to defend against Benn. Both men madeweight without issue despite speculation that Benn would struggleto hit his mark. All other fighters on the card also made weight,including Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who will takeon Noel Mikaelian.
Garcia (25-2) enters the fight having defeated Mario Barrios toclaim the WBC ***** le. This bounceback performance came after "KingRy" failed to dethrone Rolando Romero for the WBA belt last year.Garcia officially weighed 145.5 pounds for the ***** le defense.
Looking to cause an upset is Benn (26-1), whose only career defeatcame to Chris Eubank Jr. last year. However, the British superstarwon the rematch and then defeated Regis Prograis in his latestouting. Benn weighed 146 pounds on the dot.
The Zuffa Boxing Benn vs. Garcia event will stream live onParamount+. The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
RyanGarcia (145.5) vs. Conor Benn (146)
Champ Jai Opetaia (199) vs. Noel Mikaelian (200)
Raphael Akpejiori (246) vs. Da'Mazion Vanhouter (231.5)
Andres Cortes (135) vs. Mark Magsayo (134.5)
Oswaldo Molina (131.5) vs. Pablo Rubio Jr. (131)
Abel Gonzalez (167.5) vs. Raul Salomon (167)
Dakota Linger (150.5) vs. Vlad Panin (151.5)
Jose Ramirez (146.5) vs. Alexis Rocha (146.5)
Sean Garcia (134) vs. AbrahamMorales (134)
#garcia #boxing #opetaia
2 months ago
WBC Welterweight champion, Ryan Garcia, and British bruiser, Conor Benn, will finally settle their issues this Saturday night (Sept. 12, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada streaming live on Paramount+. Before then, however, they have to weigh in to make sure they make the 147-pound limit. In the co-main event of the evening, Jai Opetaia will defend his Zuffa Boxing and The Ring Cruiserweight ****** les against WBC 200-pound champion, Noel Mikaelian.
See the official live stream in the embedded video player above live at 12:00 p.m. ET.
147 lbs.: Ryan Garcia () vs. Conor Benn (146)
200 lbs.: Jai Opetaia () vs. Noel Mikaelian (200)
135 lbs.: Mark Magsayo () vs. Andres Cortes ()
Heavyweight: Damazion Vanhouter () vs. Raphael Akpejiori ()
130 lbs.: Oswaldo Molina () vs. Pablo Rubio ()
168 lbs.: Abel Gonzalez () vs. Raul Salomon ()
154 lbs.: Vlad Panin () vs. Dakota Linger ()
147 lbs.: Jose Ramirez () vs. Alex Rocha ()
147 lbs.: Sean Garcia () vs. Abraham Morales ()
To checkout the latest Zuffa boxing-related news and notes click here.
#noel #mikaelian
See the official live stream in the embedded video player above live at 12:00 p.m. ET.
147 lbs.: Ryan Garcia () vs. Conor Benn (146)
200 lbs.: Jai Opetaia () vs. Noel Mikaelian (200)
135 lbs.: Mark Magsayo () vs. Andres Cortes ()
Heavyweight: Damazion Vanhouter () vs. Raphael Akpejiori ()
130 lbs.: Oswaldo Molina () vs. Pablo Rubio ()
168 lbs.: Abel Gonzalez () vs. Raul Salomon ()
154 lbs.: Vlad Panin () vs. Dakota Linger ()
147 lbs.: Jose Ramirez () vs. Alex Rocha ()
147 lbs.: Sean Garcia () vs. Abraham Morales ()
To checkout the latest Zuffa boxing-related news and notes click here.
#noel #mikaelian
2 months ago
With a three-belt unification against Noel Mikaelian off the table for now, Mike Coppinger reports that David Benavidez will return to action on December 12th. Coppinger "expect[s]" him to meet interim WBC cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak, confirming an earlier report from Abraham Gonzalez, who claims it will land in the "area" of Benavidez's birthplace of Phoenix, Arizona.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO), whose only pro losses came in ******* le bids against Ilunga Makabu and Lawrence Okolie, mollywhopped the remains of Jean Pascal two Junes ago for his seventh consecutive victory since falling to Okolie in 2022. He's not a particularly glamorous opponent and doesn't have the deepest body of work outside of faded vets like Pascal, Olanrewaju Durodola, and Youri Kayembre Kalenga, but he's a solid operator and hasn't gone the distance in victory since 2018.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) made short work of "Zurdo" Ramirez in his cruiserweight debut to claim the WBA and WBO ******* les. He then flexed his status as reigning WBC light heavyweight champion to push for a rare mandatory unification against Mikaelian. Sampson Lewkowicz and Don King claim to have worked out a deal, but Mikaelian elected to try his luck with Zuffa instead, which I'm still convinced will result in a lawsuit.
Thus, a kinda-palatable ******* le defense. Maybe next time.
#benavidez
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO), whose only pro losses came in ******* le bids against Ilunga Makabu and Lawrence Okolie, mollywhopped the remains of Jean Pascal two Junes ago for his seventh consecutive victory since falling to Okolie in 2022. He's not a particularly glamorous opponent and doesn't have the deepest body of work outside of faded vets like Pascal, Olanrewaju Durodola, and Youri Kayembre Kalenga, but he's a solid operator and hasn't gone the distance in victory since 2018.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) made short work of "Zurdo" Ramirez in his cruiserweight debut to claim the WBA and WBO ******* les. He then flexed his status as reigning WBC light heavyweight champion to push for a rare mandatory unification against Mikaelian. Sampson Lewkowicz and Don King claim to have worked out a deal, but Mikaelian elected to try his luck with Zuffa instead, which I'm still convinced will result in a lawsuit.
Thus, a kinda-palatable ******* le defense. Maybe next time.
#benavidez
3 months ago
It'll soon be back-to-back U.S. appearances for Australia's Jai Opetaia, who has landed the co-feature slot on one of the biggest boxing cards in 2026.
Opetaia, the reigning Zuffa cruiserweight champion, will defend his ****** le against Noel Mikaelian on the Sept. 12 Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas.
Mikaelian is the reigning WBC cruiserweight world champion. The status of that ****** le was not clarified in Tuesday's announcement, although Mikaelian did ****** ert his intention to defend his crown.
"When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship," Mikaelian said in a press release.
Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs), a former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion, routed Brandon Glanton in his Zuffa Boxing debut in March.
#cruiserweight #champion #defend #zuffa
Opetaia, the reigning Zuffa cruiserweight champion, will defend his ****** le against Noel Mikaelian on the Sept. 12 Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas.
Mikaelian is the reigning WBC cruiserweight world champion. The status of that ****** le was not clarified in Tuesday's announcement, although Mikaelian did ****** ert his intention to defend his crown.
"When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship," Mikaelian said in a press release.
Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs), a former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion, routed Brandon Glanton in his Zuffa Boxing debut in March.
#cruiserweight #champion #defend #zuffa
3 months ago
Despite a standing order to defend his WBC cruiserweight ***** le against David Benavidez, Noel Mikaelian will meet Jai Opetaia in the co-feature of Zuffa Boxing's Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"This is a huge card, and I look forward to showing the world once again why I'm the best cruiserweight on the planet," Opetaia said. "Credit to Noel for stepping up to the plate while others — yes, David Benavidez, I'm talking about you — continue to run and hide."
"This is a massive fight for Jai, and it's refreshing to see a top-tier cruiserweight step forward when so many continue to avoid the challenge," said Mick Francis, Opetaia's longtime manager. "He's proud to defend the Zuffa Boxing and Ring ***** les on the biggest stage."
"When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship. This is the fight I've wanted since becoming a two-time world champion, and I'm ready to deliver," Mikaelian said. "I haven't fought since December 2025 because of circumstances outside of my control. I refused to stay inactive. Champions are meant to defend their ***** les, and that's exactly what I'm prepared to do."
It's certainly a better matchup than the Glanton fight that kicked off this whole debacle in the first place. but I personally would not put any stake in this happening. Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KO) is under contract with Don King, who remains as vexatiously litigant as ever and has a long history of quashing any attempt by his fighters to compete outside of his purview. Dan Rafael reports that King, who'd reached a deal with Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, will follow his usual M.O. and "likely" file suit.
#opetaia
"This is a huge card, and I look forward to showing the world once again why I'm the best cruiserweight on the planet," Opetaia said. "Credit to Noel for stepping up to the plate while others — yes, David Benavidez, I'm talking about you — continue to run and hide."
"This is a massive fight for Jai, and it's refreshing to see a top-tier cruiserweight step forward when so many continue to avoid the challenge," said Mick Francis, Opetaia's longtime manager. "He's proud to defend the Zuffa Boxing and Ring ***** les on the biggest stage."
"When I step into the ring on September 12 against Jai Opetaia in Las Vegas, I intend to defend my world championship. This is the fight I've wanted since becoming a two-time world champion, and I'm ready to deliver," Mikaelian said. "I haven't fought since December 2025 because of circumstances outside of my control. I refused to stay inactive. Champions are meant to defend their ***** les, and that's exactly what I'm prepared to do."
It's certainly a better matchup than the Glanton fight that kicked off this whole debacle in the first place. but I personally would not put any stake in this happening. Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KO) is under contract with Don King, who remains as vexatiously litigant as ever and has a long history of quashing any attempt by his fighters to compete outside of his purview. Dan Rafael reports that King, who'd reached a deal with Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, will follow his usual M.O. and "likely" file suit.
#opetaia
3 months ago
Boxer Jai Opetaia has started legal action in the United States to force the IBF to hand back the cruiserweight world ****** le.
The Australian claims the sanctioning body acted unlawfully when it stripped him of his belt following his first fight with promotional outfit Zuffa Boxing.
Opetaia filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Nevada seeking to have his ****** le reinstated, recover damages and legal costs, and prevent the IBF from naming another cruiserweight champion while the litigation continues.
The IBF declined to comment, with a spokesperson telling BBC Sport: "We will release a statement when it is appropriate."
The 19-page complaint - obtained by BBC Sport - claims rival governing bodies have discouraged champions from facing him, citing David Benavidez's decision not to pursue a fight after Opetaia was stripped and alleging the WBC threatened to strip Noel Mikaelian if he agreed to face the Australian instead.
#opetaia #district #sport #stripped
The Australian claims the sanctioning body acted unlawfully when it stripped him of his belt following his first fight with promotional outfit Zuffa Boxing.
Opetaia filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Nevada seeking to have his ****** le reinstated, recover damages and legal costs, and prevent the IBF from naming another cruiserweight champion while the litigation continues.
The IBF declined to comment, with a spokesperson telling BBC Sport: "We will release a statement when it is appropriate."
The 19-page complaint - obtained by BBC Sport - claims rival governing bodies have discouraged champions from facing him, citing David Benavidez's decision not to pursue a fight after Opetaia was stripped and alleging the WBC threatened to strip Noel Mikaelian if he agreed to face the Australian instead.
#opetaia #district #sport #stripped
