Jai Opetaia: Talks Underway To Fight Winner Of Gilberto Ramirez v Chris Billam-Smith
IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia has revealed that talks have already started for a unification fight against the winner of the fight between Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith.
Opetaia (25-0-0 19 KO) has made it his mission to become the 200-pound division’s undisputed champion, and soon after reclaiming his title in May, he sent an offer to WBO title holder Billam-Smith. However, his rival rejected the terms and claimed the timing wasn’t right.
Opetaia will instead make the first defense of his second reign as IBF champion against European belt holder Jack Massey on the undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitrii Bivol on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Billam-Smith (20-1-0 13 KO) and WBA champion Ramirez (46-1-0 30 KO) will meet in their own unification clash on November 16, also in Riyadh.
“Man, we’re busy, we’re staying busy,” Opetaia said. “It’s still a good fight. Obviously, we were chasing that unification fight, but it is what it is. I’m not taking Jack Massey lightly at all, you know, I’m expecting a real hard fight, so it should be good.”
Opetaia got quite animated during his pursuit of Billam-Smith, previously accusing the British fighter of “ducking” their bout and describing his refusal to enter negotiations as “f**k**g bu*****t”. However, the Australian insists it is nothing personal and that he is only focused on securing titles.
“I’ve got nothing against Chris Billam-Smith, I think he’s a good dude, he’s a good champion,” he said. “He always holds himself well. He never trash talks. I’m not chasing Chris Billam-Smith as an individual. I’m chasing the belt. So, that’s just how boxing works. I’m chasing unification fights, and he’s got a belt, so let’s get it on.
“I feel like [Ramirez] is a hard fight,” Opetaia added. “But you know he always proves people wrong. I know he’s got a lot of heart. He’s got that will to win. You know it’s hard to beat someone that doesn’t want to lose. You know he’s always got something to prove. I think it’s a great fight.”
While Opetaia insists he’s not looking beyond Massey, the 29-year-old southpaw revealed that the possibility of fighting the winner of Billam-Smith’s bout with Ramirez is already being explored. Both fights will be held under the Riyadh Season banner and led by Turki Alalshikh, who is once again taking the lead on a potential showdown between Opetaia and the eventual unified champion.
“We actually had a meeting yesterday [with Turki Alalshikh] after the press conference,” Opetaia said. “We had a sitdown and that fight is the smartest thing to do. We want to fight the winner of Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith and then we want to collect the rest of the belts. So it’s all doable, we just need these guys to accept the fight.”
Opetaia first became the IBF’s cruiserweight champion in July 2022 when he took the belt from Mairis Briedis with a points win in Australia. He made one defense, against Jordan Thompson, but was soon stripped of the title for failing to face Briedis in a rematch, opting instead to fight Ellis Zorro, whom he knocked out in the first round.
Opetaia did fight Briedis a second time in May – in the co-main event of the undisputed heavyweight bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury – and secured another points win to become a two-time world champion. The Australian is viewed as a key fighter to Alalshikh’s long-term plans, so the Saudi Arabian matchmaker will no doubt be determined to deliver the fights he wants.
