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Australia needs a new boxing hero. This is who fans should get behind
Jai Opetaia isn’t overly fussed about fighting Jake Paul.
If Paul is fool enough to challenge him in the ring, Opetaia is prepared to accept the cash and coverage that would come with pummelling one of the world’s best-known YouTubers. But at a time when the line between genuine pugilism and pre-packaged entertainment has never been more blurred, the Australian is more interested in collecting belts than clicks.
“I want to fight the best of the best,” Opetaia said. “The reason I don’t talk about Jake Paul is because he will not fight me. He will look for an easier way to become a world champion.
“There is no way in the world he is going to fight me, so what is the point of me even talking about him or calling him out?
“If there was the potential for that fight to happen, let’s do it. But I know for a fact he doesn’t want to step into the ring with me.”
Opetaia is the country’s best boxer. But because he’s not a former footballer or an influencer, he punches away in relative anonymity. The 30-year-old holds the IBF cruiserweight and The Ring magazine belts and is looking to add the last remaining prizes in the division to his collection.
Jai Opetaia (left) is Australia’s best boxing hope right now.Credit: Getty Images
It’s a difficult feat to achieve, because nobody wants to fight him.
To appreciate how good Opetaia is, consider this: to win his belts, he had to defeat the man known as “The Latvian Punisher”, Mairis Briedis. He did so twice, the first time after breaking his jaw in the second round.
The only other man to have beaten Briedis is the great Oleksandr Usyk, via a controversial points decision, before he went up a division and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The world’s top promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes Opetaia is the only man capable of dethroning Usyk. Opetaia plans to do just that, but wants to clean out the cruiserweight division first. And also collect the belts in bridgerweight division on his way up.
Jai Opetaia knocks down David Nyika in January to retain his IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight world title.Credit: Getty Images
“For sure, if [the Usyk] fight did come around, I’d take it straight away,” Opetaia said. “Obviously I’m chasing undisputed [cruiserweight champion status], but a fight like that, that’s a no-brainer. Of course I would do that.
“That’s a legacy on its own. It’s all just talk – he said, she said stuff. Until I see a contract in front of me, I will stick to my guns.
“Once I become undisputed, I will fight whoever, wherever. I’m just chasing undisputed as a cruiserweight, and once I tick that box, whoever wants it can get it.”
For now, Opetaia is toiling away in relative anonymity in his homeland. That’s because the focus has instead been on the likes of Paul Gallen, the former Sharks and NSW captain, who earned a controversial points decision against rival Sonny Bill Williams. Or the fading Tim Tszyu, whose career is again at the crossroads after losing his third fight in four starts, against WBC super-welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Paul Gallen earned a controversial victory over Sonny Bill Williams.Credit: Wolter Peeters
The Gallen-Williams fight was a decade in the making and punters lapped it up; it was the most purchased fight ever shown on Stan.
But Gallen has now retired, Williams is expected to do likewise and Tszyu’s star has faded after three humbling world title losses. Other drawcards, including Anthony Mundine and Jeff Horn, have left a once thriving local scene, while the lustre has come off the likes of George Kambosos, Justis Huni, Liam Wilson and Harry Garside at a time when $70 is the asking price to tune into most cards on Stan or Foxtel’s Main Event.
Just as boxing fans were asking themselves whether any local is worth that investment, something seismic happened on the other side of the world.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the billionaire Saudi Arabian promoter, announced that his promotions shown on DAZN – including the upcoming blockbuster between Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – would no longer be pay-per-view events.
Tim Tszyu finished the rematch against Sebastian Fundora on his stool.Credit: Getty Images
The move could totally disrupt the way big events are consumed. In a bid to boost subscriptions and thwart piracy, Al-Sheikh has blown up the model. From now on, punters can get all the offerings from DAZN – which recently acquired Foxtel – from $14.95 a month.
At the same time, the sport here appears headed towards a decline: Tszyu is becoming a hard sell; brother Nikita is yet to prove himself as world class; former undisputed lightweight world champion Kambosos has lost four of his past six fights; heavyweight Huni was knocked out in his last outing; Wilson may struggle to get another world title shot; ditto boxing brothers Andew and Jason Moloney.
Meanwhile, Olympian Garside is generating more headlines outside the ring than in it, Brock Jarvis was humbled by Keith Thurman, while Liam Paro is trying to position himself for another title shot after losing to IBF super-lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins, who may have recently ended Kambosos’ career in their last fight.
There are others on the local scene showing promise, including Demsey McKean, Conor Wallace, Alex Leapai jnr, Paulo Aokuso, Kris Terzievski and Teremoana Teremoana. There’s even talk of the sons of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green – Rahim “CJ” Mundine and Archie Green – facing off in the future.
“He’s got a similar style to his dad; I’ve got a similar style to my dad,” said CJ Mundine after knocking out Joe Vatusaqata in their super-middleweight clash on the Gallen-Williams undercard last month.
“Everyone knows what goes on when that happens. It would be like Conor Benn and Chris Eubank jnr, an Australian version.”
However, there are fewer marketable local boxers now than there were five years ago. Which brings us back to Opetaia. The 30-year-old’s next fight is likely to be a mandatory defence against Huseyin Cinkara, with a win allowing him to turn his attention to a unification bout against WBO and WBA champion Gilberto “Zurdo″ Ramirez early next year.
Becoming the heavyweight champion of the world – via a potential clash with Usyk – could then be on the cards.
“It’s not my style to sit here and talk shit, but everyone is beatable,” Opetaia said.
“Heavyweights are trying to fight him the wrong way, they are trying to hurt him and knock him out instead of boxing with him. He’s beatable.”
Perhaps if Opetaia does that, he will finally get the recognition he deserves.