One of the most exciting world champions in the sport may be looking to try and repeat the accomplishments of Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk is the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion, having claimed that accolade for the second time in July when he knocked out Daniel Dubois inside five rounds at Wembley Stadium to add the IBF belt to his WBC, WBA and WBO titles.
The Ukrainian’s success in the banner division came after a stellar period at cruiserweight, where he was also able to become undisputed in that division thanks to wins over the likes of Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev.
One man who is now a dominant force at cruiserweight in his own right is Jai Opetaia, who has an undefeated record of 28-0 with 22 knockouts, and has held the IBF title for the past several years.
The Australian – regularly branded a ‘beast’ in the ring for his all-action style – has been keen on a unification clash with WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, but that has been unable to materialise yet, with Opetaia instead ordered to defend against his mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara.
Opetaia’s promoter Eddie Hearn has now given an update on the situation, telling The Punch Podcast that if a unification can’t be made soon, Opetaia may look to follow in Usyk’s footsteps and move up to heavyweight.
“Unfortunately, Ramirez got injured. But now, Jai has to fight his mandatory. That’s not ideal, but the other option is to move up to heavyweight. I just feel like it would be a shame for him not to unify the division first.
“I think we’ll fight Cinkara around November, December time. If we don’t get a unification after that, then it might be time to step up to heavyweight. It might be a little earlier than anticipated, but you can’t just wait around forever.”
It means a fight between Usyk and Opetaia could potentially happen in the future, and Briedis has revealed who he deemed to be a tougher opponent after facing both.
