The WBC crowned a new cruiserweight champion and the IBF a new bantamweight champion last night
In a pair of main events that slipped under the radar last night, thanks in no small part to awkward broadcasting arrangements, Noel Mikaelian and Jose “Chapulin” Salas Reyes turned in strong performances to claim world titles.
Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KO) spent 18 months on the sidelines after his title-winning whupping of Ilunga Makabu in 2023 and was unfortunate to be on the wrong end of a majority decision loss to Badou Jack (29-4-3, 17 KO) upon his return this past May. Saturday’s rematch produced no such controversy, as Mikaelian swept the last five rounds on all three scorecards to claim a wide decision victory.
IBF champion Jai Opetaia, recently cleared of a potential eye injury suffered in his knockout victory over Huseyin Cinkara, immediately called for a unification bout. The WBC explicitly gave Mikaelian the option of making a voluntary defense and Opetaia has a year to kill before his next mandatory defense, so there’s nothing on paper standing in the way.
Over in Mexico City, Salas (17-0, 11 KO) stopped South Africa’s Landile Ngxeke to claim the IBF bantamweight belt left behind by Junto Nakatani. The 23-year-old has the look of a real problem at 118, and with the division in flux as the Japanese hegemony wobbles, he’s in position to make some noise.
Category: General Sports
