Benavidez Eyes Mikaelian in November as Cruiserweight Plans Firm Up

David Benavidez isn't slowing down. Two months after dismantling unified cruiserweight king Gilberto Ramírez with a sixth-round stoppage on his 200lb debut, the 29-year-old is already circling his next target: a November showdown with WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, per a report from BoxingScene.

Benavidez, unbeaten at 32-0 with 26 knockouts, arrived at cruiserweight and immediately looked like he owned the place. There was talk of a return to light heavyweight afterward, but that idea seems dead now. His future is at 200, and his promoter says the fight with Mikaelian is done on their end — they're just waiting on the champion's signature.

Why Not Bivol or Opetaia?

The obvious names still float around. A clash with Dmitry Bivol, the IBF and WBO light heavyweight ruler at 25-1, remains one of the sport's most-wanted fights. So does a meeting with lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, the unbeaten Australian sitting at 30-0 (23 KO). But Opetaia's situation is a mess — he's currently suing the IBF over what he views as an unjust decision to strip him of his belt.

So Benavidez is sidestepping the drama entirely. Picking off Mikaelian's WBC strap is the cleaner path to consolidating power at cruiserweight, and it keeps 'The Mexican Monster' active while the Bivol and Opetaia scenarios untangle themselves.

Mikaelian is no soft touch, mind you. He's a two-time WBC champion who first claimed the belt by halting Ilunga Makabu in three rounds back in November 2023. He then lost it in controversial fashion to Badou Jack in May 2025, before flipping the script and reclaiming it in the rematch seven months later — a win that dropped Jack to 29-4-3.

Las Vegas is the frontrunner to host, though nothing's been ruled out. For Benavidez, it's another step in a cruiserweight campaign that already looks a lot scarier than anyone expected when he first stepped on the scale at 200.