Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelian confirmed as Ring and ZUFFA title clash for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn card
Photo: Zuffa
Jai Opetaia will defend his Ring and ZUFFA Boxing cruiserweight titles against former WBC champion Noel Mikaelian in the co-feature of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn in Las Vegas.
The co-feature for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn has been confirmed, with Jai Opetaia set to defend his Ring and ZUFFA Boxing cruiserweight titles against two-time WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian on September 12 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
Opetaia, who holds an unbeaten record of 30-0 with 23 victories coming by knockout, captured the Ring cruiserweight title in July 2022 and has since established himself among the leading fighters in the division.
The Australian southpaw will make the eighth defence of his Ring title in September, while also making his first defence of the ZUFFA Boxing cruiserweight championship he won in March.
Opetaia became ZUFFA Boxing's inaugural cruiserweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Glanton at ZUFFA Boxing 4 in the Meta Apex.
Mikaelian returns to the ring following his most recent appearance in December 2025, when he defeated Badou Jack via unanimous decision in their rematch to reclaim the WBC cruiserweight title.
The victory extended Mikaelian's professional record to 28-3 and cemented his status as a two-time cruiserweight world champion ahead of his meeting with Opetaia.
The clash will see two recognised champions meet on the Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn card, with further undercard details expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
With Garcia and Benn headlining the event and a championship cruiserweight contest now confirmed as the co-feature, the card continues to take shape as ZUFFA Boxing expands its schedule of major boxing events.
The winner of Opetaia vs Mikaelian will leave Sin City with a significant collection of championship honours, with both men looking to establish themselves as the top dog of the cruiserweight division.
The entire Garcia vs Benn card will stream exclusively on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers globally outside the UK and Ireland, where the event will instead be available via DAZN PPV.
Henry Elwell is a sports writer based in Lincoln, UK, specialising in combat sports coverage across both boxing and mixed martial arts. Alongside his writing, Henry has gained experience presenting boxing events, attending press conferences and hosting media events, building a broad range of skills during his time at the University of Lincoln. He also played a key role in the University of Lincoln's coverage of Lincoln City F.C. during the club's title-winning 2025/26 campaign. His work included writing match reports and feature articles, as well as interviewing the team's manager and numerous first-team players.
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