IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) looked human for once, sustaining punishment en route to scoring an eighth-round knockout in his defense against mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara (23-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia.
It was not the vintage version of Opetaia that fans had seen in previous fights. Despite Cinkara being overmatched from the get-go, he got his pound of flesh tonight, hurting Opetaia, cutting him, and causing painful-looking swelling under both of his eyes. Appearance-wise, Jai didn’t resemble the winner at the end of the fight.
Early Scare in Round Two
Opetaia had a close call early on in the fight, getting nailed by a right hand from the 40-year-old Cinkara that had him staggering. The punch not only hurt Jai, but also cut him under his right eye.
Jai Switches to Safety Mode
After the second round, the southpaw Opetaia looked more cautious in engaging with the powerful German Cinkara. He chose to stay on the outside, throwing jabs to the body of Cinkara and fast straight lefts. We didn’t see the combination punching from Jai that had gotten him in trouble in round two.
By the sixth round, Cinkara began looking his age, appearing tired, slow, and sluggish with his movements. Every shot from Opetaia seemed to bother him, and one could tell that a knockout was near.
It wasn’t the fast pace that seemed to sap the gas tank of Cinkara, as it was a slow, methodical type of contest. The challenger didn’t appear in top condition, and he looked very old for 40. Appearance-wise, Cinkara looked like he was in his late 40s and didn’t belong in the ring with a fight of Jai’s level.
One-Way Traffic Late
In rounds seven and eight, it was just one-way traffic for Opetaia, with him hitting a slab of beef with unanswered shots. Interestingly, the occasional jabs that Cinkara landed in defense caused swelling under both of Opetaia’s eyes, making him look beaten up.
Eighth-Round Shutdown
In the eighth, Cinkara threw a painfully slow, awkward-looking right hand that Opetaia easily countered with a straight left that knocked the challenger flat on his back. The referee immediately stepped in and halted the contest when he saw that Cinkara was motionless.
Zurdo & Benavidez Smell Blood
After the way Opetaia looked tonight, WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez and David Benavidez are going to be licking their chops. Both of them would have an excellent shot at defeating the so-called King of the cruiserweight division if he looks like he did tonight.
