The WBC says Mikaelian must honor its ordered defense against Benavidez or surrender recognition as cruiserweight champion
Mauricio Sulaiman says Noel Mikaelian must fight David Benavidez next if he wants to remain WBC cruiserweight champion. The WBC president stated that a move toward a reported unification fight with Jai Opetaia would end Mikaelian’s status as the sanctioning body’s titleholder.
“The WBC order is Mikaelian against Benavidez. That’s it. If he takes another fight, he is relinquishing his obligations with the WBC,” Sulaiman told BoxingScene.
The ruling creates a major obstacle for a fight that has been widely reported as nearing completion. BoxingScene reported Friday that negotiations were being finalized for a Mikaelian-Opetaia bout later this year on a Ring Magazine card backed by Turki Alalshikh.
The WBC formally ordered Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) to defend against Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) after the American requested mandatory status. Sulaiman said the order leaves little room for alternative plans.
Benavidez recently met with Sulaiman in Mexico and expressed his desire to pursue cruiserweight unification opportunities, while Dmitry Bivol’s next move remains tied to other obligations.
Although no deadline has been set for Mikaelian to commit, Sulaiman indicated the sanctioning body intends to push the situation forward.
“Not at this time. I’ll be talking to all the different managers. This is a top priority. I’m very much looking forward to making sure this happens,” said Sulaiman.
The comments place Mikaelian in a difficult position. A fight with Opetaia would likely be viewed as the bigger unification opportunity, but moving ahead with those plans would cost him the WBC championship unless the sanctioning body changes course.
The WBC’s stance is straightforward: Mikaelian’s next fight must be against Benavidez if he wants to remain champion.