As fans are aware, Jai Opetaia opted to vacate the IBF cruiserweight title so as to be able to go ahead with this Saturday’s big payday of a fight with Ellis Zorro, the fight to take place on the huge “Day of Reckoning” card in Saudi Arabia. The folks at the IBF said Opetaia was not permitted to defend against Zorro, that he had to face mandatory Mairis Briedis.
Briedis, the man Opetaia beat to become IBF champ last year, was happy to allow the Opetaia-Zorro fight to go ahead, so long as he got his shot at the winner. But Opetaia was pushed into a position by the IBF where he would either lose the belt or lose out on a lucrative payday. Opetaia decided to vacate the belt. Now, as per a news story from ProBox TV, it’s likely Briedis will fight Gilberto Ramirez for the vacant strap.
Briedis’ promoter, Kalle Sauerland, said his fighter really wanted the Opetaia rematch but that the fight with Ramirez is “a blockbuster as well.”
“Briedis will fight for the vacant title, most likely against [Gilberto] Ramirez,” Sauerland said. “If I am not mistaken he is next in the rankings, which is a blockbuster as well. Mairis really wanted to fight Opetaia again. If you look back at that fight, it is the tale of two cities. You have the first half where Opetaia breaks Briedis down on the back foot, breaks his nose. Then Briedis gets over his jet lag in the second half, smashing him, pulverises him from pillar to post. He carries him, if he took a step back he would have gone down for 20 not ten. It was a fantastic fight, they left everything in the ring. I would have loved to have seen it again.”
It was a hard night for Opetaia, with the Australian warrior showing real heart in fighting with a broken jaw. A rematch “really needs to be made” in the future, Sauerland says, whether it’s for a title or not. But as far as Ramirez goes, Sauerland says Briedis will get “revenge” over the former super middleweight titlist, this for the win 32 year old Ramirez scored over Sauerland fighter Arthur Abraham some years ago.
“Ramirez is fantastic as well, he’s a great fighter. I have an open account with him because he beat Arthur Abraham at super middleweight three or four years ago. It was one of Arthur’s last fights. We have to get some revenge there from our team,” Sauerland said.
Briedis, gunning for a fourth title, will perhaps have a tough night against Ramirez. Ramirez will be having just his second fight at cruiserweight, “Zurdo” having boxed at light heavyweight for six of his last seven fights. The Mexican southpaw is 44-1(30) and the sole loss came against the superb Dmitry Bivol. Ramirez put in a negative performance in that fight, this something he cannot do against Briedis, 28-2(20). Ramirez says he does feel much better, much stronger, up at cruiserweight.
As for Briedis, how much has he got left at age 38?