There were no surprises inside the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas: last night, Jai Opetaia (31-0-0, 24 KOs) defeated Noel Mikaelian (28-4-0, 12 KOs) by ninth-round TKO after a superb combination at close range.
Amid the current chaos surrounding boxing’s belts, further complicated by Zuffa Boxing’s recent arrival on the scene, it is worth clarifying that the WBC ultimately refused to allow its title to be at stake because Mikaelian had been ordered to face Benavidez. The WBA, meanwhile, stepped in at the last minute and put its “regular” belt on the line, with David Benavidez holding the “Super Champion” title.
On the undercard of the Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn fight, which we covered HERE, Jai Opetaia once again confirmed his status as one of the dominant forces in the division. It was not for lack of trying on Mikaelian’s part, but the weapons at his disposal were simply not enough to dethrone Opetaia.
The fight was rough from the outset. Fighting out of his southpaw stance, Opetaia repeatedly fired his straight left, looking to keep the Armenian on alert, while setting the pace with his right jab. Before the end of the round, an accidental clash of heads caused noticeable swelling on Opetaia’s face.
Mikaelian is a good fighter, with plenty of craft and experience. He repeatedly answered Opetaia’s attacks with his straight right and right hook, managing to hurt him in the second and third rounds and, most notably, in the seventh, when Jai was forced to clinch to recover from a heavy shot.
Opetaia is an extremely talented fighter, blessed with excellent footwork and powerful punches. He generates much of that power by loading up heavily on his shots, however, which requires a considerable expenditure of energy. Over longer distances, this can make him vulnerable, especially given that his chin is not exactly granite, as was also evident in his fight with Briedis.
The Armenian therefore tried to manage the fight from range and dictate the pace, but Opetaia’s pressure and clearly superior boxing skills frequently forced him into exchanges at close quarters.
Opetaia needed no second invitation and willingly embraced the inside battle, absorbing some dangerous right hooks from Mikaelian but, above all, making his superior hand speed and power tell until he eventually wore his opponent down.
In the ninth round, with the 35-year-old Mikaelian already feeling the effects of the effort required to cope with the Australian’s physicality and heavy punches, Opetaia freed his right hand during a clinch and unleashed a lightning-fast short right hook that landed perfectly on the Armenian’s jaw.
A second later, exactly the same thing happened, this time with Opetaia’s short left hook.
Mikaelian was already virtually knocked out, staring blankly into space, but unfortunately for him he was still perfectly upright, his legs stiff and his body hanging from Opetaia’s right arm. Jai then unleashed another thunderous left hook before following up once again with the right.
Mikaelian somehow remained on his feet, supported by the ropes, but the referee stepped in to spare him any further unnecessary punishment. To Opetaia’s credit, he too appeared to stop himself, or at least merely feinted a left uppercut, clearly aware of his opponent’s condition. After receiving the count, Mikaelian showed neither the clarity nor the willingness to continue, and was therefore declared the loser by ninth-round technical knockout.
Opetaia prevailed thanks to the qualities for which he is widely recognized, although the fight once again suggested that he does not possess the most reliable of chins. On the horizon now looms a top-level showdown with the only genuine rival capable of threatening his reign at cruiserweight, David Benavidez, who climbed into the ring afterward for a face-off that certainly appeared to lend further credibility to the numerous reports of a future fight between the two.
May 5 next year is being discussed as a possible date.