Jai Opetaia scored a massive stoppage of Noel Mikaelian tonight in Las Vegas, but remains without a major governing body belt.
Back in March, Opetaia dominated Brandon Glanton at the Meta Apex to defend his IBF cruiserweight title, but was stripped due to issues between Zuffa Boxing and the sanctioning body. Now, a legal dispute stemming from Mikaelian’s relationship with Don King has meant that the WBC belt was not on the line.
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Unlike March, the WBC have been actively working with Dana White and Zuffa on this show. They not only sanctioned the main event between Conor Benn and champion Ryan Garcia for their welterweight title, but created a new belt for the fight.
Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelian Zuffa Boxing result
From the opening bell, it was champion Noel Mikaelian who went on the offensive in Las Vegas. He managed to catch Jai Opetaia cold in the opening exchanges and visibly marked his challenger’s face from early.
However, that initial success was short-lived as Opetaia managed to get back into a rhythm and ultimately take control of proceedings. He hurt the champion on multiple occasions and began to find a flow that made him dominant.
Eventually in the ninth round he scored a technical knockdown although Mikaelian didn’t actually touch down. At that point, the referee deemed that he couldn’t continue and Opetaia landed his first knockout win on American soil.
After the bout, Opetaia was presented with his Zuffa Boxing belt as well as The Ring Magazine championship. However, a notable absentee was the WBC title which wasn’t sanctioned due to ongoing legal action from Don King, who insists that he has exclusive promotional rights for Mikaelian.
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