- Tim Tszyu, George Kambosos and Jason and Andrew Moloney have recently lost
- Opetaia has the opportunity to break that title drought in the rematch with Mairis Briedis
- He will fight on a blockbuster card headlined by Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
A “dark and moody” Jai Opetaia feels he belongs at boxing’s top table as the Australian cruiserweight prepares to regain his world title in Saudi Arabia.
The unbeaten 28-year-old’s (24-0) rematch with Latvia’s Mairis Briedis is the co-main event of Sunday morning’s (AEST) undisputed world heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh.
The pair fought a war for the IBF world title on the Gold Coast almost two years ago, with Opetaia defying a twice broken jaw to defeat the champion in a unanimous points decision.
Briedis, 39, has not fought since.
Opetaia was bypassed by other belt holders, eventually securing a defense against the hapless Jordan Thompson in London and then annihilating Ellis Zorro with a first-round knockout in his debut in Riyadh last December.
Jay Opetaia hopes to end a recent streak of Australians missing out on world title opportunities when he takes on Mairis Briedis.
Opetaia, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, broke his jaw and still bravely managed to beat Briedis the last time they fought in 2022.
Opetaia gets his world title shot against Briedis on the Tyson Fury/Oleksandr Usyk undercard
The second of those fights forced Opetaia to surrender his IBF belt, the organization refusing to sanction the fight and demanding that he fight Briedis despite the injured Latvian’s unavailability.
With that fight happening now and the vacant belt being up for grabs, Opetaia has a chance to restore some order after a losing streak in world title fights to compatriots Tim Tszyu, George Kambosos Jnr, Jason and Andrew Moloney.
“Now I feel like a completely different version of myself,” Opetaia said, unwavering.
‘I’ve taken it up a few notches. Now I am 28 years old and I am in my prime.
‘I am the next generation of greatness that is emerging. I look around me and see greatness everywhere.
“And it’s my honor to be in front of them, but now it’s my time.”
Opetaia believes this title shot will help him show the world that he is capable of achieving greatness.
While Opetaia has been in good shape and is ready to fight, Briedis has not fought since he last faced the Australian.
Queensland-based New Zealand cruiserweight David Nyika (8-0) is also on the card, fighting Germany’s Michael Seitz (12-0) for a chance to break into the division’s world rankings.
‘Jai seems quite dark and moody; “He has a lot of things to do, but his priority seems to be destroying Briedis,” Nyika told AAP.
“He’s the best guy in the division right now, with a goal in mind, but a lot of guys don’t want anything to do with him.”
“But money talks and there is money floating around in Saudi Arabia making these fights happen.”
Gold Coast-based Opetaia made history as a 17-year-old at the London 2012 Games, as the country’s youngest Olympic boxer watching Usyk claim gold.
The Ukrainian went on to unify the cruiserweight division and can now become the first man since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago to hold all the heavyweight belts if he beats Fury.
Opetaia would love to fight Usyk, English promoter Eddie Hearn opens his plans to eventually promote the Australian to the heavyweight division.
But unification is the next step if Opetaia finds a way to overcome the Latvian (28-2), whose only other loss was to Usyk in a tight points decision six years ago.
“I have great respect because when we fought, I saw a true warrior in the ring,” Briedis said of Opetaia.