Boxing
Mikaelian in the dark over Benavidez snub before Opetaia bout
Shields vs. Scott live on DAZN - Saturday
Noel Mikaelian has claimed he never received an agreement from David Benavidez's team over a cruiserweight unification.
The WBA champion will face Jai Opetaia in the co-main event of Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn's WBC welterweight bout.
But before he returns to the ring next month in Las Vegas, the star has opened up on a missed opportunity with another foe.
Mikaelian had been expected to face WBC and WBO champion Benavidez next, but says radio silence derailed their clash.
Shields: 'I Was Fighting Men at 15!'
"With the Benavidez fight, I agreed to it immediately, and [more than] 60 days [passed],” the Armenian-German told The Ring.
"[But] I never received an agreement. [My manager] decided we have to see what’s going on there to make a fight happen.
"I have to make a living. I have to fight, to make a career. I can’t wait forever. I’m already getting gray hair. It’s either now or never.”
Benavidez dethroned Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez in May after stepping up from light-heavyweight with a standout six-round victory.
Mikaelian will meanwhile now face ex-IBF champion Opetaia, who was stripped of his belt earlier this year following his Zuffa defection.
The Australian, often considered the division's pre-eminent fighter, will be determined to earn back a major title this September.
What will Benavidez do next?
DAZN News correspondent Andrew Steel
News that Noel Mikaelian did not get a bout over the line with David Benavidez may not be the surprise that many think that it is.
Having conquered another division in style, the latter looks to be seeking the biggest fish in terms of commercial and critical gain.
Despite holding a world title, Mikaelian perhaps does not quite have the profile that the star would want for a blockbuster tussle.
Should he defeat Jai Opetaia, of course, then matters may prove different. A marquee scalp will go a long way to attracting foes.
As for Benavidez though, a return to light-heavyweight could yet materialise, or perhaps a waiting game. The world is his oyster.
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