The Mexico City, Mexico-based sanctioning body announced Cieslak's elevation to full champion on Monday.

The WBC also added that unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez is the Polish cruiserweight's mandatory challenger.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), who won the unified titles with a sixth-round stoppage of Gilberto Ramirez on May 2, is expected to face Cieslak in a three-belt unification on December 12. The fight's victor will then be ordered to face The Ring and Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) next, per the sanctioning body's ruling.

Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs) won the interim WBC cruiserweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of former light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal in June 2025 but has been left waiting since.

Benavidez, who sits top of The Ring's rankings at both 175 and 200 pounds, also holds the WBC's light heavyweight crown. No. 5 on the pound-for-pound list, the 29-year-old three-division champion told The Ring's Mike Coppinger ringside at the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn bill that he would not be moving back down in weight.

When asked for comment, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring: "Cieslak is a tremendous fighter who has been waiting for his opportunity to shine for a long time and now will, against Benavidez."

Cieslak, The Ring's No. 4-ranked cruiserweight, previously made clear his discontent at being held out on the sidelines while being ready and physically able to feature without any news on a return date.

He told The Ring's Anson Wainwright in July of his continued frustration while his team intimated an October timeline was likely then in a homecoming fight, before this development.