Jai Opetaia is scheduled to put his Ring and Zuffa cruiserweight championships on the line when he faces Noel Mikaelian on Sept. 12. The matchup will be featured on the undercard of a headlining bout between Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia, which will be broadcast live on Paramount+.
Opetaia holds a professional record of 30-0 with 23 knockouts and is regarded as the sport’s top cruiserweight competitor. His credentials include the Ring championship, and he was among the first major signings when Zuffa Boxing launched. His path to the current titles involved capturing the IBF championship in a competitive bout with Mairis Briedis in 2022. Following several successful title defenses, Opetaia was stripped of the IBF belt when he opted to sign with Zuffa and compete for their cruiserweight championship. In March, he won the Zuffa title by decisively defeating Brandon Glanton.
Mikaelian brings a record of 28-3 with 12 knockouts to the contest. The WBC champion is currently in his second tenure with the organization’s belt. He originally captured the title with a third-round stoppage of Ilunga Makabu in 2023 before losing it to Badou Jack by majority decision in 2025. Mikaelian subsequently won a rematch against Jack by unanimous decision to reclaim the championship.
The status of Mikaelian’s WBC title remains uncertain for the scheduled matchup against Opetaia.
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