Renowned boxing promoter Don King has filed a legal complaint seeking to block the upcoming cruiserweight bout between Australian fighter Jai Opetaia and WBC world champion Noel Mikaelian. The fight, scheduled for September 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is set to serve as a co-feature alongside the welterweight clash between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.

King, who promotes Mikaelian, sent a cease and desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and its parent company TKO Group Holdings just four days before the event. The letter describes the Opetaia-Mikaelian fight as “indefensible” and “outrageous,” claiming Zuffa and TKO have not obtained proper authorization to proceed with the bout. According to King’s correspondence, any contracts Mikaelian has signed or will sign without Don King Promotions’ (DKP) explicit written consent are invalid.

The letter accuses TKO and Zuffa of “knowing, intentional and unjustified tortious interference” with existing agreements, demanding that the fight be canceled immediately. King insists that the promoters publicly announce the cancellation and refrain from arranging any further matches involving Mikaelian without DKP’s prior approval.

Don King, widely known for his role in promoting boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, is pursuing this legal action in a bid to protect his promotional interests. As of now, neither Zuffa Boxing nor TKO Group Holdings has issued a public response regarding the complaint or the status of the fight.

The dispute comes at a critical moment, with the Mikaelian-Opetaia bout designated as a high-profile undercard on a major boxing event. The resolution of this legal challenge will determine whether the fight goes ahead as planned or is postponed or canceled amid ongoing contractual disagreements.