Jai Opetaia stops Noel Mikaelian in ninth round, calls out Benavidez

Jai Opetaia dominated Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night in Las Vegas, stopping him in the ninth round to defend his Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight titles.

Opetaia landed a looping overhand flush to Mikaelian's face in the ninth, per CBS Sports. Mikaelian staggered backward and was driven into the ropes by a follow-up combination. The referee called a technical knockdown with Mikaelian held upright by the ropes. After an eight-count, the fight was waived off at 1:37 of the round. According to CBS Sports, Opetaia stopped Mikaelian in a manner no one else has.

The bout took place on the undercard of Ryan Garcia versus Conor Benn on Saturday night. Early collision proved costly for Opetaia: before the first round closed, per CBS Sports, the fighters clashed heads, leading to considerable swelling on the side of Opetaia's face. Mikaelian landed a big right hand late in the second round that got Opetaia's attention. Mid-fight, another right hand from Mikaelian hurt Opetaia noticeably and forced him to clinch several times, per CBS Sports.

After the bout, Opetaia called Mikaelian "tough as nails," per CBS Sports.

With undefeated David Benavidez, who holds titles at super middleweight, light heavyweight and cruiserweight, seated ringside, Opetaia called him to the ring for a brief exchange. Per CBS Sports, Opetaia said: "I respect him. He's done a lot for the sport and been awesome. What better fight to make? Respectfully, let's get it on." Benavidez proposed Cinco de Mayo as the date for such a bout. Opetaia agreed, saying "Done."

A complication remains: according to CBS Sports, the WBC sanctioning body chose not to sanction Saturday's fight as a title bout. Noel Mikaelian retains the WBC cruiserweight championship despite the knockout loss.