Dana White says Saturday’s cruiserweight title fight between Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian is still happening, despite a cease and desist letter from Don King demanding the bout be scrapped.
“He’s fighting this weekend,” White told reporters at Contender Series in Las Vegas, per ESPN.
Don King Productions sent the letter to TKO Group Holdings and Zuffa Boxing on Tuesday, claiming an exclusive worldwide promotional agreement with Mikaelian and accusing TKO and Zuffa of tortious interference for arranging the Opetaia bout without DKP’s consent. Attorney Alejandro Brito, writing on King’s behalf, called the matchup’s creation “outrageous” and demanded TKO/Zuffa cancel it immediately and cease all further dealings with the fighter.
White pushed back hard on the interference claims. “This f—ing sport is the most unsophisticated sport I have ever seen in my life, it’s f—ed up for a reason. I’ve always had good dealings with Don. When have you ever seen a scenario with us where we go and try to interfere with someone’s contract? We don’t do it.”
What Don King’s Letter Claims
According to the letter, Brito pointed to emails between TKO senior vice president Isabelle Mercer and DKP legal counsel Carl Lewis as proof that TKO knew Mikaelian was under contract to King. The letter also acknowledges Mercer was personally involved in talks with Lewis over a potential deal for Mikaelian that would have included the Opetaia fight, though no agreement was ever finalized.
Mikaelian had maintained that his manager had the authority to pursue outside offers. King used a similar contract argument last year to block a Jarrell Miller-Michael Hunter fight.
Opetaia vs. Mikaelian for the WBC cruiserweight title is set to co-headline Zuffa Boxing’s Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn card Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
