Written by Josh Alston, Daily Mail Australia
04:03 May 18, 2024, Updated 04:03 May 18, 2024
- The Australian is fighting on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk bout.
- Rematch with Mairis Briedis in IBF world title fight
- Hopes to fight Usyk after regaining world title belt
Jay Opetaia is considered one of the greatest rising forces in world boxing, but the Australian doesn’t just want to carry on Oleksandr Usyk’s legacy in the ring, he wants to take it from him in the ring. I believe.
Opetaia is probably the best cruiserweight in the world today, and Usyk is a multiple world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
The Australian will rematch Mairis Briedis for the IBF world title on the undercard of Sunday’s Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight championship bout. [AEST].
No Australian male athlete currently holds a world championship belt from boxing’s four major sanctioning bodies, following recent losses to Tim Tse and Jason Moloney.
Opetaia wants to change that and aims to unify the cruiserweight titles.
But his burning desire to fight Usyk, the division’s undisputed champion, remains.
“I want to fight Usyk,” Opetaia told Sky Sports.
“I’ve been watching Usyk for a long time. I was 17 when he won the 2012 London Olympics.
“I’ve always been around, but now I’m in my prime.”
“I’m not a little kid anymore. Now they know too. I’m on their radar. It feels good. He was always the top seed so I hope I can fight him. ”
The rematch with Briedis is expected to be tough. The first battle was brutal. Opetaia defeated Bridis despite breaking his jaw.
“We expect a hard-fought 12-round fight,” he said. “If I end up breaking his jaw again, so be it. This is what we need.”
Because of his grit and skill, Tyson Fury brought Opetaia on as a sparring partner in preparation for Usyk.
“It was good to adapt to the new style,” Opetaia said of his experience with Fury.
‘I learned a lot. I wanted to win his respect and prove myself. ”
From that training session, rumors surfaced that Opetaia dropped Fury during a sparring match and was quickly kicked out of the WBC heavyweight champion’s camp, with rumors that the Australian had been shot down multiple times.
Instead, he said the session allowed both players to respect each other and show that the Australians belonged at this level.
“For a kid like me from the Central Coast of Australia to share the ring with a fighter like Tyson Fury is insane,” Opetaia told Boxing Social.
“It was disappointing to get a negative result because he was the best cruiserweight who helped the best heavyweight in our game.
“There were a lot of positive things that could have come out of it, but they always kept doing things like clickbait.
“But for my team and for our experience, it was amazing. It was a great experience, and I’m grateful for this experience.
“My team interacts with their team, being around other world champion fighters and knowing that we deserve to be there too.
“Wherever I go, I always say, we go to earn respect, not to be disrespected.” I felt like I had earned their respect. ”
To fight Usyk, Opetaia will likely need to move up two weight classes, starting with a move to bridgeweight, which sits between the WBC’s cruiserweight and heavyweight division.
“Even at bridgeweight, I feel like I fit the bill at cruiserweight. I think bridgeweight would be a better qualifying weight,” he said.
“I’m a three-division world champion, so you know what I mean?” That’s a good thing for me, and it’s definitely possible.
“With my abilities, I definitely feel like I can accomplish these things.”
Meanwhile, Opetaia’s opponent Mairis Briedis has not fought since losing to Opetaia nearly two years ago.
“Of course I want to win,” Briedis said.
“Mike Tyson once said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ So don’t miss that punch and stick to your plan.”
The main card begins at 2am AEST, with Opetaia’s fight expected around 7am. This event will be broadcast live on DAZN.