This one has come out of the blue. According to a news story in The Sun Herald in Australia, Bob Arum has been in talks about the possibility of heavyweight champ Tyson fighting Jai Opetaia, an unbeaten cruiserweight, in Australia sometime in 2021. And the story says Fury would pull in a purse in the region of £10 million.
Arum says he had a great experience bringing superstar Manny Pacquiao to Australia to fight Jeff Horn a few years ago and that he finds the idea of Fury fighting in Australia “exciting.”
Opetaia, 19-0 (15) says he aims to first win a cruiserweight world title and then make the move up to heavyweight, and the 24-year-old says it would be a dream come true to fight Fury.
Arum has been speaking with Opetaia’s promoter Dean Lonergan, and the idea is for Fury to fight Opetaia at the Bankwest Stadium next year.
“He would love to come; we love to fight in different places. That to me is so exciting,” Arum said. “What we’re talking about is in 2021 at some time. That would be a big event, particularly if we are able to stage it on a Sunday morning because then that would be prime time back in the U.S.”
Arum says we fans should take Fury’s recent talk of retiring after another two fights with a pinch of salt. Arum said Pacquiao spoke in similar tones way back when, only to be still fighting now, hugely successfully, at age 41.
“You have to take with a grain of salt fighters saying they want two more fights and then they’re gone,” the Top Rank boss said. “I mean I’ve heard that so often. He will retire when he wants to retire. Maybe he believes that (he will retire after two more fights), I’m sure he believes it, but that’s subject to change.”
Before Fury can take his trip to Australia to fight he has to deal with Deontay Wilder in their contracted third fight and then, we hope, Fury will face Anthony Joshua for all the heavyweight belts. After that, maybe Fury will be enticed to box Opetaia in Australia and earn one more massive payday. But who is Opetaia? The 6’2” cruiserweight had a good amateur career, boxing at the 2012 Olympics. A pro since August of 2015, the southpaw has boxed most of his fights at home, although he has fought in Mexico.
There are no obvious recognizable names on Opetaia’s record. Who knows if Opetaia can win a cruiserweight title and then land his dream fight with Fury. Stranger things have happened, and Fury does like to fight all over the place.