David Benavidez return eyed for December 12th, could meet Michal Cieslak
David Benavidez and veteran Michal Cieslak could meet in Arizona this winter
With a three-belt unification against Noel Mikaelian off the table for now, Mike Coppinger reports that David Benavidez will return to action on December 12th. Coppinger “expect[s]” him to meet interim WBC cruiserweight champion Michal Cieslak, confirming an earlier report from Abraham Gonzalez, who claims it will land in the “area” of Benavidez’s birthplace of Phoenix, Arizona.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO), whose only pro losses came in title bids against Ilunga Makabu and Lawrence Okolie, mollywhopped the remains of Jean Pascal two Junes ago for his seventh consecutive victory since falling to Okolie in 2022. He’s not a particularly glamorous opponent and doesn’t have the deepest body of work outside of faded vets like Pascal, Olanrewaju Durodola, and Youri Kayembre Kalenga, but he’s a solid operator and hasn’t gone the distance in victory since 2018.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) made short work of “Zurdo” Ramirez in his cruiserweight debut to claim the WBA and WBO titles. He then flexed his status as reigning WBC light heavyweight champion to push for a rare mandatory unification against Mikaelian. Sampson Lewkowicz and Don King claim to have worked out a deal, but Mikaelian elected to try his luck with Zuffa instead, which I’m still convinced will result in a lawsuit.
Thus, a kinda-palatable title defense. Maybe next time.
David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
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Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
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Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 104140
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
Cieslak likely next for Benavidez on December 12
David Benavidez appears poised to stay at cruiserweight for his next fight.
The Ring’s Mike Coppinger confirmed during the latest episode of “Inside The Ring,” which streamed Monday on DAZN, that the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion will likely face WBC interim titleholder Michal Cieslak on December 12. Other outlets have also reported that Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) versus Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs, 1 NC) is potentially next on that date.
Handlers for Benavidez, The Ring’s No. 1 contender in the cruiserweight and light heavyweight divisions and No. 5 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, were previously in discussions to face WBC cruiserweight champ Noel Mikaelian.
Armenia’s Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) instead pivoted to a fight against Ring champ Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
They’ll meet in the co-feature before Ryan Garcia defends his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn in a main event Paramount+ will stream in the United States and DAZN will offer on pay-per-view and to subscribers of its Ultimate plan in the UK and Ireland.
Whether the WBC title will be on the line for Opetaia-Mikaelian remains to be seen.
The WBC named Benavidez, of Phoenix, Arizona, as Mikaelian’s mandatory challenger on May 29. It is rare for a champion to be ordered by a sanctioning body to face a champion from another sanctioning organization, but it occurred in part because Benavidez’s representatives petitioned the WBC on his behalf.
Benavidez, 29, also holds the WBC light heavyweight title. He’ll remain at cruiserweight in part because the light heavyweight fight he wants against Ring, IBF, WBA and WBO champ Dmitry Bivol isn’t available to him next.
If Mikaelian, 35, is stripped of his WBC belt, Cieslak, The Ring’s No. 4 cruiserweight contender, could be elevated to full titlist, or the title could be vacant for the Benavidez-Cieslak fight. The WBC could also mandate the winner of Opetaia-Mikaelian to face the winner of Benavidez-Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout in 2027.
Mikaelian is rated No. 5 among The Ring’s cruiserweight contenders.
Benavidez, a three-division titleholder, moved up to cruiserweight and beat Gilberto Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) in a dominant sixth-round stoppage to become the WBA and WBC champion on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena.
Cieslak, 37, of Kozienice, Poland, last fought in June 2025, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal to become the WBC interim cruiserweight champ.
David Benavidez appears poised to stay at cruiserweight for his next fight.
The Ring’s Mike Coppinger confirmed during the latest episode of “Inside The Ring,” which streamed Monday on DAZN, that the WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion will likely face WBC interim titleholder Michal Cieslak on December 12. Other outlets have also reported that Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) versus Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs, 1 NC) is potentially next on that date.
Handlers for Benavidez, The Ring’s No. 1 contender in the cruiserweight and light heavyweight divisions and No. 5 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, were previously in discussions to face WBC cruiserweight champ Noel Mikaelian.
Armenia’s Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) instead pivoted to a fight against Ring champ Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
They’ll meet in the co-feature before Ryan Garcia defends his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn in a main event Paramount+ will stream in the United States and DAZN will offer on pay-per-view and to subscribers of its Ultimate plan in the UK and Ireland.
Whether the WBC title will be on the line for Opetaia-Mikaelian remains to be seen.
The WBC named Benavidez, of Phoenix, Arizona, as Mikaelian’s mandatory challenger on May 29. It is rare for a champion to be ordered by a sanctioning body to face a champion from another sanctioning organization, but it occurred in part because Benavidez’s representatives petitioned the WBC on his behalf.
Benavidez, 29, also holds the WBC light heavyweight title. He’ll remain at cruiserweight in part because the light heavyweight fight he wants against Ring, IBF, WBA and WBO champ Dmitry Bivol isn’t available to him next.
If Mikaelian, 35, is stripped of his WBC belt, Cieslak, The Ring’s No. 4 cruiserweight contender, could be elevated to full titlist, or the title could be vacant for the Benavidez-Cieslak fight. The WBC could also mandate the winner of Opetaia-Mikaelian to face the winner of Benavidez-Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout in 2027.
Mikaelian is rated No. 5 among The Ring’s cruiserweight contenders.
Benavidez, a three-division titleholder, moved up to cruiserweight and beat Gilberto Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) in a dominant sixth-round stoppage to become the WBA and WBC champion on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena.
Cieslak, 37, of Kozienice, Poland, last fought in June 2025, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal to become the WBC interim cruiserweight champ.