An amped-up Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, mentioned tonight that IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will “choose up all of the belts at cruiserweight” after which press on to combat Oleksandr Usyk at heavyweight to develop into the undisputed champion.
Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) crushed challenger David Nyika (10-1, 9 KOs), knocking him out within the fourth spherical tonight on the Gold Coast Conference Centre, Broadbeach, in Queensland, Australia. Referee David Fields waived it off after Nyika was flattened by a left hand from Opetaia. That was the second knockdown within the fourth spherical.
Hearn’s Grasp Plan
“I consider David Nyika shall be a world champion sooner or later, however not tonight. He got here up with the most effective fighter, not simply in Australia, however the most effective fighters on this planet in Jai Opetaia,” mentioned promoter Eddie Hearn contained in the ring after Opetaia’s win.
“This can be a man [Jai] that ought to enter the pound-for-pound rankings. Large future forward. Jai is humble sufficient to not discuss in regards to the title of Oleksandr Usyk, however I’m not. That’s my job,” Hearn continued.
“Jai goes to choose up all of the belts at cruiserweight to develop into undisputed, after which we wish to push him right into a combat towards Oleksandr Usyk to try to develop into undisputed at heavyweight as effectively. I consider he’s the one one which can provide Oleksandr Usyk an actual combat, however to do it, we’ve received to choose up each belt within the cruiserweight division first,” mentioned Hearn.
There’s nonetheless loads of doubt about whether or not Opetaia will get so far as preventing Usyk for his titles at heavyweight. To get that far, Jai should beat WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs), and he could lose that combat. If he’s victorious, he’d nonetheless must defeat WBC champion Badou Jack, which gained’t be simple.
Subsequent Cease: Unification
Beating Zurdo would require some adjustments to Opetaia’s preventing model as a result of this man is wise, highly effective, and a very good fighter. As we noticed tonight, Jai can’t combat a lick on the within and may be very, very common. Ramirez’s bread and butter is preventing on the within, and his quantity punching is the most effective within the cruiserweight division. Above all, he’s good.
“I’ve been chasing these unification fights. I’m coming for my belts,” mentioned Opetaia tonight when requested if he’d be serious about preventing a unification towards Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in ‘three to 4 months if His Excellency [Turki Al-Shiekh] could make the fights following his fourth-round knockout win over David Nyika.
