Fury Camp Shakeup: Opetaia Departs After Sparring Sessions, Leaving Rumors Swirling

Fury Camp Shakeup: Opetaia Departs After Sparring Sessions, Leaving Rumors Swirling
By Michael Collins - 01/22/2024 - Comments

Tyson Fury’s camp saw the dangerous southpaw former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia quickly leave after just five rounds of sparring with the Gypsy King amid rumors that he’d dropped the WBC heavyweight champion hard while helping him prepare for his title fight against IBF/WBA/WBO champ Oleksandr Usyk on February 17th.

Fans on social media believe the KO artist Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) was asked to leave by the Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) because they didn’t want Tyson to be ruined before he takes on the unbeaten Usyk on February 17th in their big-money undisputed heavyweight championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ben Damon, a Fox Sports commentator, revealed that the 28-year-old Australian Opetaia had left the Fury camp after five rounds of sparring, saying he left because of a lack of “Orthodox sparring in his training.

The excuse doesn’t make sense to the fans, as Usyk is an unorthodox southpaw fighter, and the last thing Fury needs is more “orthodox sparring.”

Of course, if Opetaia is dropping Fury nonstop with powerful lefts to the head, that’s a good reason for him to be shown the door to exit the camp. You can’t have Fury looking half-stunned when he enters the ring to battle Usyk on February 17th, can you?

“Yep, I heard it didn’t happen,” said Damon on X about the rumors that Opetaia had dropped Fury and was bounced out of the camp for that reason.

“Jai Opetaia did five rounds of sparring with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia, but with a lack of orthodox sparring in Fury’s camp, Opetaia has now returned to Australia to continue his own preparations for the planned Mairis Briedis rematch at #FuryUsyk,” said Damon.

Boxing fans on social media say Fury couldn’t handle the heat from Opetaia, so he told to leave the camp before he ruined the 35-year-old, who looks like a fat mess at this point in his career.

The Gypsy King’ Fury was dropped by his last opponent, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, in their fight last October and barely won a ten-round split decision in Riyadh. That was Ngannou’s pro debut, and he battered Fury, connecting with big shots repeatedly, leaving him shaken at the end.

The situation looks bleak for Fury going into his match with Usyk, unless he gets the same kind of scoring that saved him from a loss to Ngannou.