Normally the one dishing out the damage from the opening bell, Jai Opetaia is expecting to start the fight in bomb defusal mode when he faces undefeated challenger Claudio Squeo on Sunday.
The IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion welcomes the stocky Italian slugger to the Gold Coast Convention Centre, the site of Opetaia’s last bout – a knockout of then-unbeaten Kiwi David Nyika.
On that occasion, Nyika flipped the script and surprisingly took the fight to the Aussie southpaw from the opening stages, heralding an all-action brawl between the pair.
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Nyika found a moment of success at the end of the second round, briefly wobbling Opetaia, but was ultimately outgunned and stopped brutally in the fourth.
Opetaia is prepared to weather an early storm this time around.
“This guy’s [Squeo] only got one gameplan. David is a different type of fighter, styles make fights,” Opetaia told reporters following Friday’s press conference.
“David’s a lot taller than me and a lot longer, but he knew I was going to clip him eventually I think.
“There’s no secret to what this guy brings and there’s no secret to what I do.”
WATCH: Opetaia vs. Squeo on DAZN
Billed at 5-foot-10 (178cm), Squeo will be giving away at least four inches in height and reach to the champion.
An aggressive fighter through his 17-bout professional career, Squeo looks to push his opponents back and go to work on the inside, throwing wide power shots with plenty of volume.
It’s an approach which has earned him 17 victories, including nine KOs, and, now, a world title shot.
“I’m just going to be dodging grenades the whole fight,” Opetaia predicts.
“He’s just going to try and take my head off, literally.
“He’s going to be throwing power shots and trying to get in close, lots of head movement.
“How long can he last? How deep can he go, how hard can he push, how tough is he? Let’s find out.
“We’ve got to patient, we’ve got to find our holes. We pick and choose our battles, we know when to box, we know when to stay there and brawl.
“People underestimate my brawling skills as well.
“We just gotta fight smart, pick our shots, find the holes and take our opportunity when we do it.”
Should Opetaia be successful in retaining his titles, he and his team are eyeing off a unification fight with Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, holder of the WBA and WBO belts, possibly in October, but almost certainly overseas.
“This will be my last one in Australia for quite a while,” he said.
“I’m pumped to be here, to have my family here for the last time before we go and take on the world.”
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