Jai Opetaia Wants To Fight Oleksandr Usyk As Part Of His Three-Weight Champion Plans
Cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia reveals a fight with Oleksandr Usyk is one of his major ambitions while reiterating his plans to eventually move up to heavyweight.
Opetaia (25-0-0 19 KO) makes the first defense of his second reign as the IBF’s 200-pound champion on October 12 when he fights European title holder Jack Massey (22-2-0 12 KO) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their bout will be part of an impressive undercard to the undisputed light-heavyweight battle between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitrii Bivol.
The Australian southpaw may only hold one of the four major world titles, but he is generally regarded as the best cruiserweight in the world. He has made it his mission to prove it by becoming the division’s undisputed champion, although an attempt to secure a unification bout with WBO belt holder Chris Billam-Smith failed.
Billam-Smith will be involved in a different unification bout when he faces WBA champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on November 16, with Opetaia positioned to take on the winner. But taking over the cruiserweight division is just the first part of Opetaia’s masterplan.
“We want to be the undisputed cruiserweight champion,” Opetaia told Sky Sports. “We want to collect the belts and then we want to move up and collect more belts either the bridgerweight or the heavyweight. A three-division world champion sounds good.”
Opetaia will be the firm favorite against Massey in Riyadh, but that does not mean the champion is anything but fully focused on his next fight. With so much on the line in terms of his future ambitions, he believes he cannot afford a slip-up in his next bout against a fighter who could pose a strong challenge.
“I am the best cruiserweight in the world,” he said. “[But] it’s easy to say that stuff. I’ve just got to keep proving it. I’ve got to prove it again on the 12th and prove it my next fight and keep collecting these belts.”
Opetaia became a star in boxing circles when he dethroned Mairis Briedis to become the IBF champion in July 2022. But he became better known to a wider audience after reports emerged that he roughed up Tyson Fury in sparring when the Gypsy King was preparing for his undisputed heavyweight fight with Usyk.
Opetaia and Fury both played down those rumors, although the cruiserweight has said that his time spent sharing a ring with the former lineal heavyweight champion proved to himself that he could hang with the best in the top division.
“You’re rubbing shoulders with greatness,” he said. “Being there you learn a lot and it’s just all positive. We just keep leveling up everywhere we go. “I’ve mixed it up with a lot of big boys. I know I can mix it up there with them.”
Opetaia’s plan to become undisputed at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight closely emulates the path taken by Usyk. After collecting all four titles at 200lbs, the Ukrainian climbed to heavyweight, and after taking apart Anthony Joshua to collect the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts, became the division’s first undisputed champion in 20 years when he beat Fury by split decision in May.
Opetaia not only wants to emulate Usyk, who takes on Fury in a rematch in December, but fight the Ukrainian champion.
“I would love to fight Usyk one day. It’s a fight that I’ll definitely be chasing. I’ve been around Usyk for a long time. We were both at the same Olympic Games [in 2012]. I was only young,” he said. “I’ve always been close. I’ve always been in the shadows. I feel like my opportunity’s getting closer and closer to being in there against him.
“The goal’s never changed. We’ve been doing the same thing ever since I was a little kid. Train, eat, sleep on repeat. It’s easy to say [stuff]. I’m trying to live it. I’m trying to train hard every day and just fight and prepare and do what I’ve got to do to prove it.”