Mikaelian allegedly set for May 17 return against Thompson

Former cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian will reportedly make his first appearance since 2023 next month in a squash match

Don King Promotions sent out a press release claiming that former WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, who was demoted due to a legal dispute with King, will face Isaiah Thompson May 17th in Florida.

King alleges that Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KO) will fight for the “Diamond” title, one of the meaningless secondary titles the WBC occasionally busts out for major bouts. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a major bout; Thompson (10-4-2, 9 KO) is less than a month removed from losing a six-rounder to 22-23-2 Juan Carlos Raygosa. Hes not even in BoxRec’s top 250 at cruiserweight.

The WBC’s website still lists Mikaelian as “champion in recess,” but it’s unclear where he fits in the queue; Badou Jack, reinstated following Mikaelian’s troubles, defends the belt against Ryan Rozicki next month. The WBC recently told Stephen Fulton to defend against another champion-in-recess in Rey Vargas, so maybe Mikaelian can dive right back in after euthanizing Thompson.

The press release claims that Blair Cobbs (17-1-1, 10 KO) will return as well for just his second fight since 2022.