Jai Opetaia could meet Noel Mikaelian in a cruiserweight world title unification with the WBC’s backing.
Opetaia is the unbeaten IBF world champion and has impressed with two victories over Mairis Briedis as well as putting together a sequence of stunning knockout wins.
Mikaelian is the WBC belt-holder and faced off with Opetaia at the first Zuffa Boxing event.
Zuffa is a new boxing promotion company that has recently signed Opetaia. The Australian will have his first fight under their banner on March 8.
With a change of American legislation, Zuffa could set up an alternative to the traditional world-title sanctioning bodies and become a unified boxing organisation that administers its own belts and rankings.
But the WBC would not obstruct an eventual Opetaia versus Mikaelian unification bout.
“Yes absolutely,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
“[Opetaia is] a good fighter, a good champion, Noel Mikaelian a very dear friend and our champion. So if they plan on doing that unification we’re supportive.
“If they want to promote a WBC championship, of course as a boxing promoter if they do it within the rules and procedures more than welcome.
“If Zuffa decides to participate in the normal landscape as it is, more than happy, more than welcome. If they continue to try and do their own league with their own belt I wish them luck, but boxing continues.”
He added: “Our policy has been to try to make the best fights possible for the industry, for the promoters for the fighters and of course for the fans.”
Heavyweight mandatory?
That policy, Sulaiman maintains, has led their decision-making for the heavyweight division. If Agit Kabayel retains his WBC interim title belt he will eventually become the mandatory challenger for full world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
But Usyk will first be permitted to make a voluntary defence of the WBC title, which he holds along with the IBF and WBA belts.
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Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis advises Oleksandr Usyk to retire ‘at the top’ when he decides to step away from the ring
“What we did in the heavyweight division was approve a long process that took to get to the undisputed,” Sulaiman said. “At the moment we pushed for our champion (Tyson) Fury to face Usyk. We also approved a rematch and that’s why the WBC approved an interim championship for Kabayel with the intention to give an elite champion Usyk that opportunity.
“Usyk requested a voluntary defence, it has been granted. Kabayel made a defence in Germany at the beginning of the year so we’re waiting for Usyk’s plans to see about his voluntary defence and then eventually perhaps order Kabayel against the champion.
“Kabayel, with that victory in Germany, becoming a hero in Germany, opens a new avenue. A Kabayel-Usyk fight is now huge as well.”
Watch the Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper bill live on Sky Sports on Sunday April 5.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
