LAS VEGAS — Dana White isn’t backing down from another battle with boxing’s establishment. Despite a cease-and-desist letter from Don King Productions challenging Zuffa Boxing’s involvement with Noel Mikaelian, White says Mikaelian’s cruiserweight championship fight against Jai Opetaia will proceed as scheduled Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
“He’s fighting this weekend,” White told reporters Tuesday following Dana White’s Contender Series.
Opetaia-Mikaelian is scheduled as the co-main event underneath the highly anticipated Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn showdown and will feature Opetaia defending his Zuffa Boxing and Ring Magazine cruiserweight championships.
But just days before fight night, another boxing promotional dispute has threatened to overshadow the action. But White isn’t impressed.
Don King Productions Sends Cease-and-Desist
Don King Productions filed a cease-and-desist letter Tuesday claiming it maintains exclusive promotional rights to Mikaelian’s career. According to the letter, TKO Group Holdings and Zuffa Boxing negotiated with Mikaelian “without DKP’s permission, consent or authorization.”
King’s company characterized the alleged actions as “outrageous” and “a clear tortious interference with DKP’s agreement.” The timing couldn’t be more significant.
Fight week is already underway in Las Vegas, and Mikaelian is preparing for one of the biggest opportunities of his career against arguably the premier cruiserweight in boxing. But White insists nothing has changed. Opetaia vs. Mikaelian is happening.
Dana White: Boxing Is ‘The Most Unsophisticated Sport’
White used the dispute as another opportunity to criticize the way professional boxing operates. “If you look at us over the last 25 years, and now that we’re in boxing — this f—ing sport is the most unsophisticated sport I have ever seen in my life,” White said.
“It’s f—ed up for a reason.” It’s hardly the first time White has criticized boxing’s business structure.
Since launching Zuffa Boxing, White has repeatedly argued that boxing’s collection of promoters, sanctioning organizations, managers and competing business interests has made the sport unnecessarily complicated.
The dispute with Don King Productions gives him another example to point toward. White also rejected the suggestion that Zuffa knowingly attempted to interfere with an existing promotional agreement.
“I’ve always had good dealings with Don,” White said. “When have you ever seen a scenario with us where we go and try to interfere with someone’s contract? We don’t do it.”
Zuffa Boxing vs. Boxing’s Old Guard
The dispute is notable for reasons extending beyond one fight. Don King is one of the most recognizable promoters in boxing history and represents an era when individual promoters wielded enormous influence over fighters, championships and major events.
White represents something very different. After helping transform UFC into the dominant organization in mixed martial arts, White and TKO have entered boxing with ambitions of changing how the sport operates.
That makes a contractual battle between Don King Productions and Zuffa Boxing almost symbolic. Old-school boxing promotion is colliding with one of the sport’s newest and most aggressive players.
White has made no secret of his frustration with boxing’s traditional business model, and Zuffa’s entrance into the sport was never going to occur without resistance from established promoters and organizations. Now one of those battles has reached one of Zuffa Boxing’s biggest events.
Opetaia-Mikaelian Remains a Major Fight
Lost somewhat in the promotional controversy is the importance of Saturday’s matchup. Opetaia has established himself as one of boxing’s premier cruiserweights and will put his Zuffa Boxing and Ring Magazine championships on the line against a proven former champion.
Mikaelian is a two-time WBC cruiserweight champion and represents another significant test for Opetaia. A victory would further strengthen Opetaia’s claim as the dominant fighter at 200 pounds while continuing to build his profile under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
For Mikaelian, the opportunity is enormous. Beating Opetaia in Las Vegas on the Garcia-Benn card would immediately reshape the cruiserweight division and give Mikaelian one of the biggest victories of his career. That is, of course, assuming nothing changes between now and Saturday.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
