Jai Opetaia is reportedly being added to the February 17th Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The opponent for the former IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) remains to be seen.
If the Fury-Usyk fight turns out to be a dud, boxing fans will have the entertaining Opetaia to watch to make it worthwhile. He never fails to entertain.
The powerful Australian knockout artist Opetaia could steal the show on February 17th from the heavyweight clash, provided he’d given a good enough opponent for this event.
Opetaia says he doesn’t have anyone he’s targeting, but he’s willing to fight any of the cruiserweight champions next.
He recently was stripped of his IBF title after taking a fight against Ellis Zorro on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card on December 23rd, and he made easy work of him, scoring a firsts round knockout.
Ideal options for Opetaia:
- Chris Billiam-Smith
- Arsen Goulamiria
- Noel Mikaelyan
- Badou Jack
- Richard Riakporhe
Opetaia open to all challenges
“Any of them. I’m dead set, serious,” said Jai Opetaia to Queensberry Promotions when asked which of the cruiserweight champions he wants next.
“All I do is focus on my own journey. They give me a target for a fight, and once they give me that target, I’m just locked in on them,” Opetaia continued. “I love and respect the science of boxing, and I’m doing my best for that craft.
“I don’t know everyone. I’m just so stuck in my own head, in my own vision goal, unless they stick a contract in front of me and say I’m fighting this person; what in the hell am I watching them for? Why am I wasting time on something that’s not going to make me better?
Respecting the science
“I watch fighters that I can learn from, and that’s about it. I don’t watch fighters just for the fun of it. I respect the science of the sport, and when I see another fighter that also thinks and has been raised around the sport, there are little things around the science of boxing that, you either got it or you don’t.
“I see fighters that have got it, and that’s who I watch. The way they have defense or the way they slick some punches off or things like that. That’s what I watch. I watch to learn, that’s it,” said Opetaia.
Jai Opetaia will be added to the #FuryUsyk card next month. Was told that on Saturday.
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) January 7, 2024