Inoue And Benavidez Make Statements On Cinco De Mayo Weekend

Cinco De Mayo weekend 2026 was highlighted by two significant fights in Boxing's Jr. Featherweight and Cruiserweight divisions. While longtime readers likely saw the preview penned by this observer regarding the Cruiserweight bout that took place on May 2nd in Las Vegas, NV, which will conclude this column, the first bout that occurred on May 2nd was regarded as an event that most would call a “Super Fight” and likely one of, if not the most significant fight to take place in Japanese Boxing history. 

Yours truly is referring to the highly anticipated encounter between undefeated stars of the sport Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, which took place before 55,000 spectators in Japan’s Tokyo Dome. Nakatani, the unbeaten former unified World Bantamweight world champion competing for only the second time in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division, facing a man in Naoya Inoue that has two undisputed world championships in two different divisions on his resume with his Undisputed World Jr. Featherweight championship on the line. Nayoa Inoue has proven to be what I have often called a generational talent, much in the same way as Terence Crawford and others throughout the history of the sport that defined their respective eras. In Inoue’s case, he has been defined not only for his ability to often score devastating knockouts that fit his “Monster” moniker, but doing so through multiple divisions ranging from the 108lb. Light Flyweight division to his current weight class the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division, winning world titles in every division he has competed in.

While Inoue has continued his dominance, there have been occasions where he has appeared vulnerable  and most thought that within the weight classes of Bantamweight and Jr. Featherweight, there was one fighter who posed a legitimate threat to him at this stage of his career in Nakatani, who has similar punching power and a former unified World Bantamweight champion in his own right. Despite the ingredients of a likely shootout between two devastating punchers, what we saw was a surprisingly tactical battle rooted largely in the fact that both fighters had respect for each other and what the other could do. This resulted in an extremely tight, tactical fight where both fighters had moments of success in many of the same rounds. 

When fights are fought in such a way, it can be challenging to determine which fighter gets an edge due to both the pace of the combat and there being nuances therein where an argument can be made either way. At the halfway point of the scheduled world championship bout, I felt the fight was even. It would be over the second half of the contest that the two fighters would begin to open up more offensively and it was Inoue who was more active, the effective aggressor throughout much of that half of the fight, and that is what ultimately led him to retaining his undisputed crown via twelve round unanimous decision. 

Although Naoya Inoue remains at the top of the Jr. Featherweight division, the question remains as to whether or not he has reached his ceiling in terms of how far he can go up the weight scale. With his Hall of Fame resume more than secured anything in the 126lb. Featherweight division should be viewed as icing on the cake at this point in his career. There will come a time, however, as most lower weight fighters eventually discover, where moving up in weight will eventually take a toll on his ability to compete effectively where the risk will be greater than the reward in terms of his legacy.

Another fighter who seems to be chasing a legacy in terms of a defining fight that will allow him to cement his Hall of Fame credentials is David Benavidez, a fighter also known as “The Monster.” While sharing a moniker with Nayoa Inoue is purely coincidental, the similarity between the two has been their ability to often dominate their competition. As Inoue has thus far continued to move through weight classes in search of more accolades, so too has Benavidez, but the latter of the two, a world champion in both the 168lb. Super-Middleweight and 175lb. Light-Heavyweight divisions, has done so without getting a marquee fight that most would consider legacy-defining.

As that search for such an opponent has continued, Benavidez set his sights on the 190lb.-200lb. Cruiserweight division. A division usually void of such marquee bouts, but one that usually serves as the precursor for most fighters before testing the waters of the Heavyweight division. May 2nd closed out with Benavidez challenging unified WBO/WBA world champion Gilberto Ramirez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. While his Cruiserweight debut carried with it the obvious questions of whether he would have the same type of punching power and hand speed at the higher weight, in addition to whether he would find a test in the form of Ramirez, who himself was a two-division world champion, this fight would be another performance for Benavidez that would show why he has carved out a reputation as an avoided fighter within the sport by fighters considered stars.

From the opening bell, Benavidez simply bided his time and it became clear very early that when he let his hand speed be on display, the champion Ramirez had no answers to combat it. As the difference between the two in terms of hand speed became more clear and the champion began to show signs of breaking down as Benavidez gradually administered a terrible beating on the highly regarded Ramirez, the performance would be highlighted by two knockdowns in round four and round six with the latter being the result of what proved to be a fight ended accumulation of punishment as Benavidez scored a sixth round knockout to cement his arrival in the Cruiserweight division as its new unified world champion.

There simply not much one can say to describe Benavidez’ performance in this fight other than to call it the latest in a line of devastating performances against another highly regarded world champion that simply had no way to combat the skillset Benavidez has. In terms of what's next, an encounter with undefeated former two-time IBF Cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia, current holder of the recently introduced Zuffa Boxing World Cruiserweight championship, would seem to be the most logical choice. It is a choice, however, that may prove to be difficult due to Zuffa Boxing appearing intent on not participating in the established model of the sport of Boxing in doing business with existing sanctioning organizations, choosing instead to create their own champions and rankings as well as being front and center in trying to sphere head proposed reforms to the Muhammad Ali Act. 

A challenge will be for the promotion, which falls under the TKO Group banner, to show it can put the interest of the sport takes priority over any promotional-based goals the promotion might have. Co-existence with Boxing’s existing sanctioning organizations and outside promoters are bridges that will have to be crossed to make fights of significant interest happen as well as bring recognition to their own in house world championships, particularly with regard to public opinion much in the same way as established sanctioning organizations all had to do throughout various points in the history of Boxing. A potential fight between Benavidez the new unified world champion and Zuffa Boxing’s first recognized world championship Opetaia, who is also recognized by Ring Magazine as World Cruiserweight champion would appear to be the first test for Zuffa Boxing to show it has the best interest of the sport at heart. It is the most logical fight to make in the Cruiserweight division. Why wait to make it happen?

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

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Ramirez-Benavidez Preview

Boxing’s Cruiserweight division, positioned between the Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions on the weight scale, is often one that one does not associate with marquee fights that become dates on the calendar that the entire sport marks down and looks forward to. The reason for that is that the division is not viewed as a career destination for most fighters. Either fighters start as a Cruiserweights with a keen eye towards becoming Heavyweights, Light-Heavyweights move into the division with the same eventual goal of becoming Heavyweights, or the Cruiserweight division ends up being a fallback option for those who have tested the Heavyweight waters and feel they can compete more effectively in the division just below the Heavyweights.

Although this observer has periodically chronicled the division, most notably referencing the 1986 WBA World Cruiserweight championship fight between the late Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Evander Holyfield, an encounter between two eventual Hall of Famers that was one of the best fights in the entire sport throughout the 1980’s that has stood the test of time, marquee attractions usually are absent from the division, which was then known as the Jr. Heavyweight division. On Cinco De Mayo weekend, however, the Cruiserweight division will see such an encounter between two world champions and stars of the sport as Gilberto Ramirez will defend his unified WBA/WBO World Cruiserweight championship against undefeated current WBC World Light-Heavyweight champion David Benavidez on May 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as part of its Ultimate subscription plan or as a standalone pay-per-view option either through DAZN or Prime Video* (*Prime Video option for the United States only for those who do not want access through DAZN.*)

This is a rare instance where not only will the Cruiserweight division get to be front and center with a fight in a coveted spot on the Boxing calendar, normally reserved for many of the sport’s biggest battles, but also brings together two offensive-minded fighters with crowd-pleasing styles that on paper, should mesh well with each other. In addition to that, these two fighters are both multi-division world champions having each won world titles in both the Super-Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight divisions previously in their respective careers.

While both fighters like to come forward and engage with their opponents and both are known for throwing punches in volume, the champion in this encounter Ramirez has one slight advantage at least in paper going into this fight. He has fought in the 190lb.-200lb. Cruiserweight division before and that experience in having competed in the division for three years might give him an edge over Ramirez who is moving up to Cruiserweight for the first time in his career. This is a fight where both fighters have high career knockout percentages where the challenger Benavidez has an edge of having stopped over 80% of his opponents compared to the champion’s 62%. The key, however, will be whether Benavidez will be as effective now in his third weight division as he has been previously. It is also worth noting that the only blemish on Ramirez’ record came in a decision loss to Dmitry Bivol in a failed bid to become a Light-Heavyweight world champion before embarking on the Cruiserweight division. Bivol is a master boxer that presents a difficult puzzle for opponents to try and solve with only Artur Beterbiev having been able to score a victory over Bivol to this point in his career so a loss to a fighter of Bivol’s caliber is in no way a disgrace and to Ramirez’ credit, he did give a good account of himself in defeat when they met in November 2022.

In this case, this observer feels it is more likely that we will see two fighters come forward and engage in some heated exchanges of punches, likely early in the scheduled twelve round world championship bout than it being a similar scenario where Ramirez had to combat an extremely technical boxer in Bivol. What will be interesting, however, is seeing as both Ramirez and Benavidez are come forward, pressure fighters who throw at a high volume, which fighter will take the initiative to try and implement that approach? Will it be the champion who will try and impose his will and experience having fought at this weight before on Benavidez or will it be the challenger who will try to back the champion up and show that his punching power will carry with him up to the Cruiserweight division?

Two very interesting questions that yours truly is as curious as anyone as to what will be the answers. While you never know what will happen when two fighters get into a ring regardless of similarities in styles and how a fight looks on paper, I personally have a hard time not seeing a scenario where at some point in the fight the two fighters are going to stand and trade punches with each other and that could very well end up looking like a 50/50 toss up as to who will get the better of it in a bout that some likely will suggest will not go the distance.

For a division in the Cruiserweights that has almost always been starved for mainstream attention in the sport, despite having countless notable fighters pass through it either on the way up to Heavyweight or on the way down towards the end of their careers, this is finally one fight that is worthy of such mainstream attention. If this turns out to be similar to the thrilling battle that Qawi and Holyfield provided forty years ago, hopefully the Cruiserweights will be able to take advantage of the increased exposure, which could lead to more lucrative bouts down the road,

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Ramirez vs. Benavidez takes place on Saturday, May 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month or as a standalone pay-per-view option for $79.99 and will also be available on a pay-per-view basis at the aforementioned price on digital streaming entertainment platform Prime Video (*Prime Video access available in United States only.*)

The card will begin at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT with free preliminary bouts with the main card available to subscribers and pay-per-view customers beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

(*North American Start Times Only*)

(*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)

Visit www.DAZN.com for ordering information, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, or to subscribe to DAZN Ultimate. To order through Prime Video, download the Prime Video app on your streaming device of choice or visit www.PrimeVideo.com for ordering information and a list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs.

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Opetaia-Glanton Thoughts

The fight between Jai Opetaia and Brandon Glanton on March 8th at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, NV was one that could be described as one of the hottest rising stars in the sport going against a top contender, who may eventually also be considered among the best in Boxing, that shined a light on the often lightly regarded and consistently lacking name recognition, Cruiserweight division. A synopsis that frankly did not need controversy.

For the unbeaten Opetaia, however, the fight would have such a shadow of controversy as the fighter, recognized by both the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and Ring Magazine as World Cruiserweight champion, would see the IBF withhold sanctioning of the bout two days before it took place due to what it felt was a lack of respect by the promoter Zuffa Boxing, who is attempting to establish it's own world championships for fights held under its banner in an attempt to establish Unified Boxing Organizations (UBO’s). A format that seems to mirror that of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) that has in itself created controversy for its proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. While the broader subject is one that requires its own column, and perhaps a series of columns to go over everything that it entails, what it meant for this fight was that only the vacant Zuffa World Cruiserweight championship along with Opetaia’s recognition from Ring Magazine would be on the line and the IBF would strip the champion of its world championship for competing in an unsanctioned contest.

The ugliness of the politics that be in the sport of Boxing aside, what would take place in the ring was a superb performance by a potentially great fighter. From the opening bell, Opetaia used his footwork and angles to consistently beat Glanton to the punch. Glanton, who applied constant pressure on Opetaia from the outset was unable to successfully cut the ring off and minimize Opetaia’s movement for a sustained period of time as the fighter known for his ability to score devastating knockouts, put round after round in the bank by frequently landing left hands from the southpaw stance and mixing in combinations. 

Although some would say that the only thing missing from Opetaia’s performance in this fight was a knockout, the ability to show there is more to his skillset than just punching power, being made to use his movement more than had been the case previously in his career, and dominate a determined opponent, who never took a backwards step was impressive in winning a wide and convincing twelve round unanimous decision victory and becoming the first world champion under the Zuffa Boxing banner. Despite the controversy regarding the IBF prior to the bout, Opetaia celebrated his victory with his IBF belt prominently displayed.

While one would think there will be much more to come in terms of established sanctioning organizations and Zuffa Boxing that might see the battleground go from the Boxing ring to the courtroom, one can only hope that Zuffa’s goal is not ultimately to phase out the existing standards in which Boxing has been governed for decades and all of the above will realize there are more benefits to collaboration than being enemies. If everyone involved does indeed have the same goal, to help elevate and grow the sport.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

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Jack-Mikaeljan II Thoughts

The rematch between WBC World Cruiserweight champion Badou Jack and the man whom he took the title from in May of this year Noel Mikaeljan, on December 13th in Los Angeles, CA at Ace Mission Studios was one that was rooted in controversy. Controversy in what led to the immediate mandated rematch ordered by the WBC in what was a controversial majority decision victory for Jack in the first fight, which subsequently led to bad blood between the fighters and their respective camps.

What would occur when the two fighters squared off for the second time can be described as lopsided and at times ugly. From the opening bell it was the former champion Mikaeljan taking the initiative and bringing the fight to the forty-two year old former two-division world champion,who was now in his second reign as WBC World Cruiserweight champion. One thing that was immediately noticeable was Mikaeljan consistently came forward and frequently found a home for his right hand. Though the punches he was able to land were solid and he was able yo briefly stun the champion with qcjab in the early going, Jack was able to take the punches well.

Mikaeljan’s approach, however, did succeed in keeping Jack from being able to find a consistent rhythm. The champion’s ability to land body shots gradually made things close and competitive, but from the perspective of this observer, Mikaeljan’s tempo, initiating the combat, and getting the best of most of the exchanges were enough to edge most of the rounds. 

In round seven, Jack would land his best punch of the entire fight when he connected with a flush right hand to the jaw that sent sweat flying off Mikaeljan's face and frankly had the sound that resembled a gun going off. Despite this, Mikaeljan did not flinch and kept pressing forward from a shot that would have likely dropped many fighters. Mikaeljan’s display of a granite chin, however, would not prevent him from being penalized a point later in the round for holding and hitting Jack on the inside as the combat gradually became ugly with both fighters implementing not so legal tactics when fighting in close. 

Although he seemingly was given a leg up in a fight that seemed to be getting away from him with his opponent being penalized a point, that perk would be taken away from Jack in the closing seconds of round eight when he hit Mikaeljan on the break as Referee Jerry Cantu, who was officiating his final fight as a referee after twenty-six years and nearly six hundred bouts as a referee was attempting to separate the fighters. This resulted in a near riot at the end of the round as both fighters continued throwing punches and tensions between their camps nearly boiled over into a near melee.

After a brief delay to both settle things down and likely to confer with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to see if a disqualification was warranted on either side, the fight continued. At this point in the fight both fighters were fighting the effects of fatigue as both began to be a bit sloppy with their offense, but the tempo that had been established early on in the bout did not change and Mikaeljan would ultimately regain his title via a convincing twelve round unanimous decision.

Despite the ugly scene at the end of the eighth round, the two fighters did embrace after the conclusion of the bout and Jack was humble in a post-fight interview in saying that it was Mikaeljan’s night and he was the better man. When questioned about a potential third fight, Jack appeared to suggest that he would be heading toward retirement as the former 2008 Olympian and world champion in the Super-Middleweight and Cruiserweight divisions said he had a great career.

As for the now two-time WBC World Cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaeljan, if a third fight with Jack is not in the pipeline, and based on both what he said after his loss and body language, it appears as though Jack may be entertaining life after Boxing after this fight, Mikaeljan could look to attempt to unify the title and the top fighter in the view of many in the Cruiserweight division currently is the unbeaten IBF World Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who recently scored an eighth round knockout in a title defense on December 6th in his native Australia of Huseyin Cinkara.

The long-standing perception of the Cruiserweight division is it is void of the type of interest and consistent publicity/coverage that is normally afforded to other weight classes throughout the sport. With Opetaia having established himself as a crowd pleasing knockout artist and with Mikaeljan’s come forward, volume punching style, it would make sense to make that fight to hopefully keep the spotlight focused on the division and  likely a good payday for both parties.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Jack-Mikaeljan II Weights

WBC World Cruiserweight champion Badou Jack and former WBC World Cruiserweight champion Norair Mikaeljan weighed in on Friday at an identical 199 ¾ lbs. for their rematch tonight (Saturday, December 13th) at Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The twelve round bout, which can be seen later tonight on pay-per-view,  is a rematch of a highly controversial bout in May of this year in which Jack became a two-time WBC Cruiserweight world champion by defeating Mikaeljan via twelve round majority decision.

 As was the case in the first fight, the WBC World Cruiserweight championship, will be on the line in the second encounter that was mandated by the World Boxing Council.  We are planning to have a post-fight column here on The Boxing Truth® during the week following the bout and will update readers on when it will be released once scheduled.. Stay tuned. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Jack vs. Mikaeljan takes place on Saturday, December 13th at Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The fight can be seen on a pay-per-view basis on a variety of cable/satellite providers and streaming platforms including Prime Video, PPV.com, and Triller TV and their respective streaming apps available on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. for $29.95 beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. (*North American Times Only*) (*Card Subject To Change*) contact your Pay-TV provider or click the highlighted links above for ordering information, how to download the respective app of your choice on your streaming device of choice, and for availability internationally.

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Jack-Mikaeljan: The Rematch

In May of this year on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez successfully becoming an Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion for a second time with a convincing twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten IBF world champion William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, two-division world champion Badou Jack did battle with  WBC World Cruiserweight world champion Norair Mikaeljan with the WBC Cruiserweight crown at stake. A close and competitive fight throughout where the champion Mikaeljan was the busier of the two fighters, but Jack in the view of most observers landed the harder punches. Despite a wide advantage for the champion in terms of CompuBox statistics in out landing Jack in total landed punches 153 to 122 over the course of the twelve round world title bout, it would be Jack who would emerge victorious via a razor-thin majority decision, making him a two-time holder of the WBC World Cruiserweight championship after briefly holding it only to vacate it in 2023. Mikaeljan, the fighter who succeeded Jack as WBC champion, appealed to the sanctioning organization in the aftermath of the bout in May and was granted an immediate rematch.

A rematch that will take place on Saturday, December 13th at the Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles, CA, that will headline a pay-per-view card that will be available on a variety of cable/satellite, and streaming platforms. In some respects, though seeing a former world champion being granted a rematch is not unusual and rare in the sport of Boxing, this is somewhat of a rarity.

After all, the Cruiserweight division, also known as the Jr. Heavyweight division as it sits between the Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions amongst Boxing’s seventeen weight classes, has almost always been void of the type of publicity and mainstream exposure that are often afforded to other divisions. One has to go almost forty years to when a young future legend and Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield engaged in a fifteen round war with the recently deceased two-division world champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi to win the WBA Jr, Heavyweight world championship in July 1986 to find a time and a fighter that brought consistent exposure to the division. Holyfield’s first world title would ultimately serve as a launching pad as he quickly unified the Cruiserweight division becoming its first undisputed world champion before embarking on the Heavyweight division, ultimately becoming the only fighter in Boxing history to have won a World Heavyweight championship on four separate occasions. As great as Holyfield proved to be as a fighter, a legitimate argument can be made that when he exited the Cruiserweight division having quickly cleaned the division out by 1988, he took whatever spotlight the division was benefiting from with him. It is also true that the last man to hold the undisputed title in the division, Oleksandr Usyk, immediately did what Holyfield had done decades earlier by vacating the title and ultimately becoming the first fighter in Boxing history to fully unify the Heavyweight division twice. 

Perhaps a more cynical point of view is that the most consistent attention the division receives in the present day in the sport comes from the aspiring boxer and promoter Jake Paul, who still faces questions regarding his legitimacy as a fighter having never faced an opponent that would be considered a fringe prospect or contender to this point in his career. When one takes all of the above into consideration, the fact that the Jack-Mikaeljan rematch has generated the buzz it has, should be viewed as a positive both for the Cruiserweight division and the fighters themselves.

The premise of this return encounter in the eyes of this observer will come down to whether Mikaeljan will be able to not only duplicate his performance from the first fight seven months ago, but to do so in a more convincing fashion where the judges will give him the benefit of the doubt. While I personally felt he did enough to retain his title back in May, what is often misunderstood is punch statistics though often serving as an illustration of what goes on in a fight, is not a part of official scoring criteria and as such if one fighter is able to give an impression that they are landing harder punches, though not being as consistent in output as their opponent, that perception of doing more damage with their offense can result in a judge scoring rounds for that fighter and ignoring the aspect of overall activity. Mikaeljan, who will enter this rematch with a record of 27-3, with 12 Knockouts, must find a way to be more convincing as to not allow the judges room to sway their opinions, particularly if Jack is able to land solidly as he did in the first fight.

The champion meanwhile, who comes into his first title defense of his second reign as WBC World Cruiserweight champion, with a record of 29-3-3, with 17 Knockouts, needs to find a way to be busier throughout this fight. Neither fighter is known for their punching power and though one can never discount the possibility of a knockout, the more probable scenario here is this fight, like its predecessor, will go the twelve round distance. What makes that potentially crucial is Badou Jack has shown a tendency to be periodically sluggish in his fights and, despite getting the nod from two official judges in the first fight by a seven rounds to five margin or 115-113 in points, he cannot allow himself to fall into any kind of hole here in terms of scoring this time around, especially with the view of many that the first fight should have went in favor of Mikaeljan.

It is also very much within the realm of possibility here that if Norair Mikaeljan can turn the tables and win this fight that we could see a third encounter. For a division that seems to always be in a state of both obscurity and flux in terms of who is at or near the top of it, that would probably be welcomed as it will keep a spotlight on the division. If such a spotlight and subsequent discussion that will follow is for positive reasons, it will be a win for the sport. Before we get ahead of ourselves, Badou Jack and Norair Mikaeljan have business to tend to and it remains to be seen if this is a conclusion or merely the next chapter in what could be a rivalry.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Jack vs. Mikaeljan takes place on Saturday, December 13th at Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The fight can be seen on a pay-per-view basis on a variety of cable/satellite providers and streaming platforms including Prime Video, PPV.com, and Triller TV and their respective streaming apps available on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. for $29.95 beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. (*North American Times Only*) (*Card Subject To Change*) contact your Pay-TV provider or click the highlighted links above for ordering information, how to download the respective app of your choice on your streaming device of choice, and for availability internationally.

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Opetaia Brutally KO's Nyika In 4 To Retain IBF World Cruiserweight Championship

Undefeated IBF World Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia scored a brutal fourth round knockout of previously undefeated IBF number ten rated Cruiserweight contender David Nyika on Wednesday night at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia. Opetaia, who has quickly established himself as a “Knockout Artist" faced what should be considered a stern test in the form of a determined David Nyika, who showed no hesitation in being willing to engage with the champion.

What resulted was a give and take, toe to toe battle through most of the fight. When one fighter would land solidly with their punches, the other would respond almost immediately with punches of their own. Frankly, through much of the flight, there was not much to separate the two fighters. This began to change ever so slightly in round three when Opetaia began to vary his attack to the body and head of the challenger.

It would be in round four where the champion would find his opening. Opetaia started to slightly get some separation between himself and Nyika, was able to land a short left uppercut that popped the challenger’s head back and moments later in an exchange of punches in close range, Opetaia dropped Nyika hard to the canvas with another short uppercut to the head. Nyika, who entered the fight unbeaten in ten professional fights, showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown on very unsteady legs. Opetaia, however, knew his opponent was in trouble and pressed forward looking for the finish. The champion would land a brutal follow-up barrage of punches to the head of Nyika sending him down hard a second time and appearing to knock him out cold as the fight was immediately stopped without a count. Official time of the stoppage was 2:17 of round four. Jai Opetaia advances to 27-0, with 21 Knockouts. David Nyila falls to 10-1, with 9 Knockouts.

The first world championship bout in the sport of Boxing in 2025 proved to be short, explosive, and devastating in how it ended. Jai Opetaia, who became a world champion in winning the IBF Cruiserweight world championship in July 2022 frankly has all the tools that one looks for in a rising star. Explosive power in either hand that can end a fight at any time, and a willingness to mix it up with his opponents. Such traits often mean that the fighter will draw significant attention whenever they compete because Boxing fans tend to favor action. Something that in his twenty-seven professional fights Opetaia has demonstrated in spades.

While there is a possibility that Opetaia might seek to unify the Cruiserweight division, something that only Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk have done in becoming the only fighters to fully unify the division before setting their sights on the Heavyweight division in two Hall of Fame careers, the issue for the Cruiserweight division, also known as the Jr. Heavyweight division in years gone by, is it has never been a career destination for most fighters.

In that it has never enjoyed the type of marquee value that is enjoyed by other divisions both below it and in the Heavyweight division. As such, it has been viewed by many as, for lack of a better term, “Stepping Stone" for fighters deemed too big for the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division, to test the waters against bigger opposition before embarking on competing as a Heavyweight. Therefore, the Cruiserweights are often deemed as a bridge for fighters moving up to Heavyweight or for fighters who have had trouble competing effectively as a Heavyweight, but who cannot get down in weight to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. A perception that was only increased by the fact that for many years, Evander Holyfield was viewed as the only marquee fighter to come out of the Cruiserweight division, even though his stay in it was a relatively short four year period from 1984-1988 where he became a world champion, went on to become undisputed champion, then went on to Heavyweight. Although there have been many great former Cruiserweights that have tried their luck as Heavyweights, not many were viewed as marquee stars and the fact is in addition to Holyfield and Usyk, only one other former Cruiserweight world champion, David Haye, went on to win a portion of the World Heavyweight championship.

Now, the division is faced with what could be the same scenario. A fighter who has the makings of a potential superstar, much like Holyfield, Haye, and Usyk that could elevate the Cruiserweight division by staying in it and potentially trying to become an undisputed world champion of it, but who also clearly has the potential of a future World Heavyweight champion as well. Promoters, managers, and yes, even fighters can boast about how they see the Cruiserweight division as a commodity, but with limited marquee value in the division, despite being populated by several world-class and talented fighters, a move to Heavyweight for most is seen as almost inevitable. For now, Jai Opetaia is firmly established as the top Cruiserweight in the world even without the status as an undisputed world champion. One should ask, however, if he will turn his attention to the Heavyweight division before the end of 2025. In this observer’s view, unless he has a path to become undisputed champion that is both straightforward and lucrative, the discussion of Opitaia as a potential future World Heavyweight champion as he enters the field of contenders should commence. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Mikaelian-Rozicki Postponed For Second Time, New Date To Be Announced For WBC World Cruiserweight Championship Bout

It has been announced that the scheduled September 29th Boxing card promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Don King headlined by a WBC World Cruiserweight championship fight between champion Noel Mikaelian and Ryan Rozicki, which was to take place at Casino Miami in Miami, FL has been postponed. This marks the second time the card, which was originally scheduled to take place in April, has been postponed. As of this writing, no official reason for this latest postponement has been given. in a statement on its official Facebook page, however, Don King Productions said it is working with its partner Three Lions Promotions as well as the World Boxing Council (WBC) to set a new date for the event, which could see an announcement made in the coming days. 

We will keep readers updated on developments as they become available. 

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