Jai Opetaia worked a technical approach and found the finish, defeating Noel Mikaelian via TKO in round nine to retain the Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championships, as well as win the WBA “Regular” cruiserweight title.
Opetaia looked to get to work in the opening round, using his right hand, while Mikaelian did the same. Opetaia did more work, but a pair of head clashes resulted in the defending Zuffa champion already being cut.
Opetaia looked to pick up the pace in the second, working with more aggression while Mikaelian did more counterfighting. Opetaia controlled the second frame, but Mikaelian landed a strong right in the closing seconds.
Mikaelian found multiple openings on Opetaia and tagged him with the right throughout round three. Mikaelian looked for something similar in round four, but Opetaia started to get going and landed left hands, especially when counterpunching.
Opetaia’s technical approach continued into the fifth round, and it picked up in effectiveness as Mikaelian’s output started to fade at this halfway point of the fight, with Opetaia continuing to find success in the sixth.
In round seven, Mikaelian started to pick things up as Opetaia attempted to walk him down, clinching and landing several right hands. Opetaia, however, started focusing on short and quick combinations.
That would help to set up the ending, as he wobbled Mikaelian with a right hand in the ninth, following up with a couple more hooks to put Mikaelian on the ropes for a technical knockdown. After the count, Mikaelian seemed to be out on his feet, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
This was Opetaia’s first defense of the Zuffa title since winning it by defeating Brandon Glanton in March. He’s also reigned as The Ring champion since defeating Mairis Briedis in 2022 (a fight that also won him the IBF title at the time).
Following the fight, Opetaia had an in-ring confrontation with David Benavidez, the WBA (Super) and WBO cruiserweight champion.
