WBC Elevates Michal Cieslak To Full Cruiserweight Champ, Unification With David Benavidez Set For December

The cruiserweight division has been on fire in 2026, with fights and controversy, and today’s announcement by the WBC (World Boxing Council) added fuel to the inferno. On Monday afternoon, the WBC posted on its social media accounts that its interim cruiserweight champion, Michal Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs), has been elevated to full champion.

On Saturday night, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman alerted everyone that he would be making a formal announcement on Monday regarding the status of the WBC cruiserweight title.

In today’s social media post and press release, the following was stated:

“After communicating with all parties involved regarding the Noel Mikaelian v. Jai Opetaia bout, the WBC Board of Governors determined that among all available courses of action, the ones most compliant with the WBC’s prior orders are the following rulings and orders:

1. Declare vacant the WBC Cruiserweight World Title;
2. Elevate WBC Interim Cruiserweight World Champion Michal Cieslak to WBC World Champion;
3. Confirm the WBC’s sanctioning of the mandatory defense of Champion Cieslak’s title against David Benavidez; and
4. Order that the winner of the Mikaelian v. Opetaia bout would become the Mandatory Contender of the division to fight next the winner of the upcoming bout between Cieslak and Benavidez.

Consistent with the WBC’s order set forth above, the winner of that bout must face next Jay Opetaia, who won his bout last Saturday September 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

The WBC cruiserweight title situation had been the talk of the build-up to the then-champion Noel Mikaelian’s fight against Jai Opetaia. Mikaelian’s promoter, Don King, had threatened legal action over the fight, but it would happen anyway (Click HERE for the full background). While the WBC had been quiet all week, there was hope on Mikaelian’s side that a decision would be made in his favor. Just before Saturday’s fight, Sulaiman decided to postpone the comment until Monday. Opetaia would win the fight, but again, a title slipped through his hands for a reason outside his control.

As FightsATW reported in August, Cieslak will face David Benavidez. The fight is set for Phoenix on December 12 (tentatively) for three of the four cruiserweight titles. While Benavidez called for a May 2027 fight with Opetaia on Saturday night, the stakes will be even higher if he can beat Cieslak in December.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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