Jai Opetaia: Anyone who has The Ring championship is the best in their division, it’s a badge of honor

Jai Opetaia didn’t need to be asked twice if he wanted to box again before Christmas.

The undefeated Ring Magazine and IBF cruiserweight world champion will make his second appearance for the year when he defends his belts against 31-year-old Brit Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 23. 

The card will also feature WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol defending his title against Lyndon Arthur and six heavyweight bouts including Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker.

It’s another massive opportunity for Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) following his four-round demolition job on previously undefeated Jordan Thompson (15-1, 12 KOs) at Wembley Arena in London two months ago.

Opetaia admitted he didn’t know who Zorro was before the fight was put to him, but it didn’t matter.

“This stuff happened pretty quickly,” the 28-year-old Australian southpaw said at the official press conference to announce the event. “You know, I probably only got told about it 10 hours before we came over here, that I was actually coming.

“And to be honest, I don’t even know what my opponent’s name is. They just told me about this card and they said I could be a part of it.

“So I just said, you know, like pretty much, where do I sign? So whoever they put in front of me is who I’ve got to beat.”

A combination of injury and a court case against his former promoter kept Opetaia on the sidelines for a lengthy period following his breakthrough win over Mairis Briedis (28-2, 20KOs) in July last year. He finally got the chance to return to action against Thompson in the Brit’s home country in September, dropping him in the third round and again in the fourth prior to the stoppage.

It was a brutal display of power boxing.

“We came here to make a statement [against Thompson], wanted to do some damage,” Opetaia said.

“This one [against Zorro], we want to take our time… the damage will come.”

The blockbuster card two days before Christmas will close the year out with a bang for Opetaia, who, with a victory, will enter 2024 with some much-needed momentum. 

“There’s a big part of me that’s so grateful to be a part of this card,” Opetaia said. “But the other half is like ‘I deserve to be here’. I earned my spot here. On the 23rd of December I will remind them that I’m the best cruiserweight on the planet.”

Opetaia felt like boxing’s forgotten man for much of this year as he waited for an opponent brave enough to step into the ring with him. That came in the form of Thompson, an unbeaten but largely untested six-foot-six puncher. Things started badly and ended worse for the local boxer, who was outboxed in the first, had his nose bloodied in the second, was dropped in the third and finished off in the fourth.

It was the perfect way for Opetaia to remind people who he was and what he stood for.

“I’m stoked to get the win like that, especially over there on away soil. I stuck the flag in the ground,” said Opetaia to The Ring last month. “I’m as happy as anything and now I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Taking the fight in the UK was a strategic move to build his brand in a market that boasts many of the top cruiserweights in the world.

“That’s why I went over there, to get out and build a new fanbase with the UK crowd,” Opetaia said. “The UK crowds are very loyal and they are kind of like Aussies, you know what I mean? You’ve got to really sort of earn their respect, it’s not just given and I felt like that’s what I did.” 

Opetaia wants to build on his momentum by picking off the other titleholders one by one. The first name on his hitlist is Britain’s Chris Billam-Smith (18-1, 12KOs), who holds the WBO strap. The 33-year-old, who goes by the moniker ‘The Gentleman’, is The Ring’s No. 5 ranked contender.

“I really want to fight Chris Billam-Smith for that WBO title,” Opetaia said. “It’s not personal; I don’t even really focus on names. All I focus on is the belt. When my time’s up and I’m looking back, all I want to say is that I won all the belts. I don’t want to say I beat this guy or that guy, I just want to be able to say that I was undisputed champion.” 

But more than sanctioning body belts, what Opetaia wants is universal acclaim as the man to beat in the 200-pound weight class.

“I believe that anyone who has The Ring championship is the best fighter in the world in their weight division,” Opetaia said. “I feel like holding the cruiserweight belt is a privilege. It’s a badge of honor to be able to carry that around. To be able to defend it the way I did, it’s an honor. It’s a good feeling to be able to carry that belt over my shoulder.”

With Opetaia’s win over Briedis last year he joined Jimmy Carruthers, Lionel Rose, Johnny Famechon, Kostya Tszyu and George Kambosos Jr. as the only Aussie boxers to hold The Ring championship.

“It’s huge,” Opetaia said. “I actually didn’t even know those other Aussies had it. I knew George Kambosos did, but yeah man, to be put up with those great names is an honor. I’m really proud of it.”

Before the Zorro fight was announced there was talk of Opetaia being drafted in as a sparring partner for WBC titleholder Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) who is set to challenge Ring Magazine and WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) in Saudi Arabia on February 17.

Opetaia is excited about the prospect of testing his skills against Fury in the gym.

“For sure, that would be an awesome experience,” he said. “I feel like it would be an awesome learning curve to be in the gym with greatness like that.”

But Opetaia warned he would not be turning up just to make up the numbers.

“At the same time, I would go there to earn respect and that’s what I do every time I step in the ring, I go to earn respect,” he continued. 

“I fly my flag very highly and I’m excited to meet those boys and be a part of that, but I’m also excited for them to meet me and see what I’m about.”

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