Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia Forced To Put Undisputed Plans On Hold
Jai Opetaia appearing on the next boxing show in Saudi Arabia is no surprise, but the choice of opponent certainly is.
The IBF cruiserweight world champion will take on European title holder Jack Massey on the undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitrii Bivol in Riyadh on October 12.
Taken in isolation, it could be viewed as an interesting challenge for Opetaia (25-0-0 19 KO) in the first title defense of his second reign as IBF champion.
Massey (22-2-0 12 KO) has only lost once at cruiserweight, to Richard Riakporhe in 2019, while his other defeat came against Joseph Parker at heavyweight last year. The British fighter is coming off the best win of his career when he beat Isaac Chamberlain on points in June to claim to British and European titles, and 6ft 4in, has a slight height reach advantage.
Opetaia Frustration Understandable
Opetaia, regarded as the best 200lbs fighter in the world, is unsurprisingly the heavy favorite and it will be an enormous shock if he doesn’t defeat Massey, but the challenger has the tools to make it an interesting fight.
However, Opetaia can’t be blamed for feeling a sense of frustration that his next bout is not against a fellow champion in a unification showdown. The Australian has made clear his plans to officially dominate the division by becoming the undisputed champion before an eventual move to heavyweight.
First in his sights was WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith. Opetaia revealed last month that an offer had been sent out to his British rival and he was waiting for his reply. Two weeks later, the Australian admitted he was giving up on his pursuit because Billam-Smith was ignoring him.
“I’ve been chasing the WBO for quite a while,” the 29-year-old southpaw told BoxingScene. “It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t want to fight so we’ve just got to move on to the next person, I guess. I can only do so much, so now I’m going to fight whoever they put in front of me.
Other Unification Options?
“The fight is there to be made. There’s nothing stopping it, except their decision. It’s the biggest paycheck he’ll get. I can only do so much. As much as I talk about it, I’m not even trying to say he’s an easy fight or he’s a walk in the park or anything like that. I just want the fight to happen.”
WBC champion Noel Mikaelian was not an option as the German is locked into mandatory duties against challenger Ryan Rozicki. However, it’s unknown why a bout with WBA title holder Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez was not pursued when it became clear Billam-Smith was not interested.
Opetaia, who is promoted by Matchroom Boxing, and Zurdo, a Golden Boy Promotions fighter, both fight on DAZN so there wouldn’t have been any network complications. Plus, the recent deal signed by Golden Boy with Saudi boxing head honcho Turki Alalshikh would have made negotiations seamless (Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn has been working with Alalshikh for years).
Zurdo also hasn’t fought since March and has no mandatory fights to fullfil, so it’s curious that Opetaia’s team didn’t go after the Mexican, particularly given Hearn’s comments earlier this year.
Opetaia Will Be Focused On Massey
“I think a unification that would be great to make is Zurdo against Opetaia,” Hearn said in April. “Obviously, with its DAZN platform, maybe a big fight in Saudi Arabia.”
As it is, Opetaia will enter training camp focused solely on Massey. The Australian is a notoriously intense individual so there will be no danger of him looking past his upcoming opponent.
Fighting for the third straight time in Riyadh (his most recent outing was in the co-main event of the undisputed heavyweight bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury in May), Opetaia is viewed by Alalshikh as a key fighter in his plans to take over the boxing world.
With Alalshikh’s backing, Opetaia will be given plenty of opportunities for unification fights, although the impatient Australian will not want to wait too much longer.
