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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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.
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Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
WBC elevates Cieslak to full champion, sanctions defense vs Benavidez
Mikaelian was stripped of the WBC cruiserweight title. The winner of Cieslak vs Benavidez is expected to face mandatory contender Opetaia
Michal Cieslak has been elevated to full WBC cruiserweight champion, and his mandatory title defense against David Benavidez has been sanctioned by the organization.
Poland’s Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) claimed the vacant interim WBC cruiserweight title by fourth-round TKO against Jean Pascal in June.
Reports about a potential bout with Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona, who currently holds the division’s unified WBA and WBO belts, emerged in August.
Mikaelian was stripped of the WBC cruiserweight title. The winner of Cieslak vs Benavidez is expected to face mandatory contender Opetaia
Michal Cieslak has been elevated to full WBC cruiserweight champion, and his mandatory title defense against David Benavidez has been sanctioned by the organization.
- Meanwhile, two-time WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian of Armenia was stripped of the title, which he held ahead of his Saturday bout against Jai Opetaia.
- Australia’s Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs), who won the fight by ninth-round TKO, has become a mandatory contender and is now expected to face the winner of Cieslak vs Benavidez.
Poland’s Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) claimed the vacant interim WBC cruiserweight title by fourth-round TKO against Jean Pascal in June.
Reports about a potential bout with Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona, who currently holds the division’s unified WBA and WBO belts, emerged in August.
- Following his victory over Mikaelian, former two-time IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia, who also holds the Ring and Zuffa Boxing belts, called Benavidez into the ring, and the two fighters agreed to a showdown next May.
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Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
WBC orders David Benavidez cruiserweight title fight, with Opetaia to face winner
The WBC have declared their cruiserweight title vacant, and have also declared a new, “elevated” champion, with David Benavidez ordered into a title fight.
It’s a convoluted pathway to get to something pretty simple: Michal Cieslak is the new WBC cruiserweight champion, he’s been ordered to defend against Benavidez, and then the winner of that fight must face Jai Opetaia.
Noel Mikaelian has been stripped of the belt after his loss to Opetaia this past Saturday night, where the WBC title was not on the line and it was a whole to-do with Don King Productions threatening Zuffa Boxing and TKO with a cease-and-desist order, and the fight went on anyway.
Immediately after that fight, Benavidez and Opetaia verbally agreed to meet in May 2027, which does give Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) plenty of time to make the fight with Cieslak. Benavidez already holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, and sanctioning bodies in the past usually didn’t allow for recognized champions of other organizations to fight for their vacant titles.
But normal, actual rules are made to be broken, and boxing sanctioning body rules are barely made to exist in the first place. “It’s boxing,” is how you can figure this working the way it will.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO) is a 37-year-old Polish fighter who won the interim WBC cruiserweight title against a completely shot Jean Pascal back in June 2025, and is on a seven-fight win streak following a 2022 loss to Lawrence Okolie. For his career, he’s 27-0 in Poland, and 1-2 outside of his native country, and the win was in Quebec against the aforementioned completely shot Pascal.
Cieslak is not a bad fighter, but on paper will not be considered any serious threat to beat Benavidez, if the fight goes off as ordered by the WBC, which it likely will.
It opens up a clear route for Benavidez vs Opetaia to be Officially Ordered by at least that sanctioning body, which is an additional way of pushing a desired fight forward.
The WBC have declared their cruiserweight title vacant, and have also declared a new, “elevated” champion, with David Benavidez ordered into a title fight.
It’s a convoluted pathway to get to something pretty simple: Michal Cieslak is the new WBC cruiserweight champion, he’s been ordered to defend against Benavidez, and then the winner of that fight must face Jai Opetaia.
Noel Mikaelian has been stripped of the belt after his loss to Opetaia this past Saturday night, where the WBC title was not on the line and it was a whole to-do with Don King Productions threatening Zuffa Boxing and TKO with a cease-and-desist order, and the fight went on anyway.
Immediately after that fight, Benavidez and Opetaia verbally agreed to meet in May 2027, which does give Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) plenty of time to make the fight with Cieslak. Benavidez already holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, and sanctioning bodies in the past usually didn’t allow for recognized champions of other organizations to fight for their vacant titles.
But normal, actual rules are made to be broken, and boxing sanctioning body rules are barely made to exist in the first place. “It’s boxing,” is how you can figure this working the way it will.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KO) is a 37-year-old Polish fighter who won the interim WBC cruiserweight title against a completely shot Jean Pascal back in June 2025, and is on a seven-fight win streak following a 2022 loss to Lawrence Okolie. For his career, he’s 27-0 in Poland, and 1-2 outside of his native country, and the win was in Quebec against the aforementioned completely shot Pascal.
Cieslak is not a bad fighter, but on paper will not be considered any serious threat to beat Benavidez, if the fight goes off as ordered by the WBC, which it likely will.
It opens up a clear route for Benavidez vs Opetaia to be Officially Ordered by at least that sanctioning body, which is an additional way of pushing a desired fight forward.
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Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
Cieslak elevated to WBC cruiserweight champion
The WBC decided Monday to move Michal Cieslak from interim cruiserweight titleholder to full champion.
The Mexico City, Mexico-based sanctioning body announced Cieslak's elevation to full champion on Monday.
The WBC also added that unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez is the Polish cruiserweight's mandatory challenger.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), who won the unified titles with a sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto Ramirez on May 2, is expected to face Cieslak in a three-belt unification on December 12. The fight's victor will then be ordered to face The Ring and Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) next, per the sanctioning body's ruling.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) won the interim WBC cruiserweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal in June 2025 but has been left waiting since.
Benavidez, who sits top of The Ring's rankings at both 175 and 200 pounds, also holds the WBC's light heavyweight crown. No. 5 on the pound-for-pound list, the 29-year-old three-division champion told The Ring's Mike Coppinger ringside at the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn bill that he would not be moving back down in weight.
When asked for comment, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring: "Cieslak is a tremendous fighter who has been waiting for his opportunity to shine for a long time and now will, against Benavidez."
Cieslak, The Ring's No. 4-ranked cruiserweight, previously made clear his discontent at being held out on the sidelines while being ready and physically able to feature without any news on a return date.
He told The Ring's Anson Wainwright in July of his continued frustration while his team intimated an October timeline was likely then in a homecoming fight, before this development.
The WBC decided Monday to move Michal Cieslak from interim cruiserweight titleholder to full champion.
The Mexico City, Mexico-based sanctioning body announced Cieslak's elevation to full champion on Monday.
The WBC also added that unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez is the Polish cruiserweight's mandatory challenger.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), who won the unified titles with a sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto Ramirez on May 2, is expected to face Cieslak in a three-belt unification on December 12. The fight's victor will then be ordered to face The Ring and Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) next, per the sanctioning body's ruling.
Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) won the interim WBC cruiserweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal in June 2025 but has been left waiting since.
Benavidez, who sits top of The Ring's rankings at both 175 and 200 pounds, also holds the WBC's light heavyweight crown. No. 5 on the pound-for-pound list, the 29-year-old three-division champion told The Ring's Mike Coppinger ringside at the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn bill that he would not be moving back down in weight.
When asked for comment, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring: "Cieslak is a tremendous fighter who has been waiting for his opportunity to shine for a long time and now will, against Benavidez."
Cieslak, The Ring's No. 4-ranked cruiserweight, previously made clear his discontent at being held out on the sidelines while being ready and physically able to feature without any news on a return date.
He told The Ring's Anson Wainwright in July of his continued frustration while his team intimated an October timeline was likely then in a homecoming fight, before this development.
Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
Didn’t the WBC announce a few years ago that they were doing away with interim and regular “title belts?” I guess that didn’t last. We are now at the point where it seems like a large percentage of alphabet titles are being “won” in cupcake “vacant title” fights or when fighters are being “Moved up” from “regular” or “interim” to “full” alphabet belt holders after cupcake fights. FFS Cieslak’s big “title” win was more than a year ago against a 43-year-old who hadn’t won even a semi-meaningful fight since before COVID.
Sulaiman should have been jailed for corruption, bribery and seeking to destroy the sport, decades ago
Sulaiman should have been jailed for corruption, bribery and seeking to destroy the sport, decades ago
Re: David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak - Who wins?
Benavidez wins comfortably. Cieslak is a level below, same as Mikaelian was for Opetaia.