Background: Who is Jai Opetaia?
Jai Opetaia, an Australian boxer with Samoan heritage, rose to fame after winning the Light Heavyweight title at the 2011 Junior World Championships. He qualified for the 2012 Olympics as the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer at just 18 years old. Opetaia has a professional record of 23 wins and 0 losses, and he notably took the IBF cruiserweight title from Mairis Briedis in 2022.
Why was Opetaia Forced to Vacate the Title?
Opetaia was offered a lucrative two-fight deal to box in Saudi Arabia, but the IBF would not allow him to compete before his scheduled title rematch against Mairis Briedis. Opetaia had to choose between pulling out of the Saudi fight or being stripped of his IBF cruiserweight world title. He decided to accept the Saudi fight, leaving him with the prestigious Ring Magazine belt.
Opetaia's Statement
Opetaia's team released a statement explaining their decision: "IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has decided to vacate his world title belt. The move comes before his scheduled December 23 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against Ellis Zorro. With mandatory contender Mairis Briedis currently unavailable due to injury, Opetaia's team were hopeful that they would be able to defend the belt against Zorro."
Opetaia himself added, "I fought through absolute agony to win that belt and it saddens me to relinquish it. I am the true king of the cruiserweight division and I'll be defending that prestigious Ring Magazine title on December 23. I look forward to getting that IBF belt back as soon as possible and adding all of them one by one."
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/boxing/former-champ-worries-tyson-furys-fight-with-oleksandr-usyk-will-be-delayed/
