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

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

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

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

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